Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine almost a year ago, the questions of if, when and how to supply the Ukrainian Air Force (UkrAF) with western fighter aircraft have been a matter of fierce debate. President Zelenskyy has made repeated and impassioned calls for American-made F-16s in particular, as have UkrAF leaders and pilots.
Russia has a dense and highly lethal network of ground-based surface-to-air missile systems
A significant majority of people in Europe and the United States want to see Ukraine emerge victorious and at peace on its own terms as soon as possible. Therefore, it is natural that many are wondering why it is taking so long for western countries to give Ukraine’s pilots the formidable combat aircraft used by the United States and its allies to such devastating effect in every conflict since the end of the Cold War. After all, it is a truism in western militaries that air superiority is a prerequisite for battlefield success.
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