Patriot missile defense system. Photo: Bulgarian Military
Analysts believe that Ukraine will eventually receive the Patriot system from Japan. That’s because in December 2023, an official statement from the White House confirmed that Japanese officials agreed to transfer Patriot missiles to Ukraine through the US intermediary. In this way, Japan avoids having to send missile systems directly to war zones and minimizes domestic opposition.
On the Russian side, Director of the III Asia Department, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Zhestkii warned: “In December 2023, the Japanese government approved measures to relax export regulations for international products. room. The goal is to deliver Patriot missiles, assembled domestically under license, to Washington. We have directly warned the Japanese side through Japanese Ambassador to Moscow Muto Akira that the ultimate beneficiary of those decisions will definitely be Ukraine.”
* Ukrainian pilots are about to complete training but F-16 delivery is still slow
According to US media, the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine was scheduled to begin this summer. The 12 Ukrainian pilots currently training in Denmark, the US and the UK are also expected to complete their training this summer.
However, US media also emphasized that of the approximately 45 F-16 fighter jets that Western allies have committed, only 6 will be handed over to Ukraine when the pilots complete training and return. return home. In addition, there is information that pilot training at Fetesti Air Base in Romania is running behind schedule.
F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet. Photo: cloverchronicle.com
According to some military analysts, the ambiguity surrounding the F-16 delivery schedule to Ukraine revolves around many unanswered questions, such as the number of aircraft each allied country will be transferred, the pace of pilot training and whether Ukraine can muster enough manpower to maintain the aircraft.
The training program for F-16 fighter pilots, which usually lasts several years, has been shortened to just a few months. However, this process is still not progressing as quickly as Ukraine and its allies had optimistically predicted. Ukrainian pilots accustomed to flying fighter jets since the Soviet era are now struggling to quickly adapt not only to Western military standards but also to fluency in English – a required to operate the F-16 effectively.
US officials also warned that bringing the F-16 into combat would not change the game and that the training process would take a lot of time. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan in an interview with ABC News last month defended the delay in approving the F-16 transfer plan to Ukraine. The Pentagon also drew red lines regarding Ukraine’s use of F-16s in the conflict. US Department of Defense press secretary Patrick Ryder, in an interview with Radio Svoboda, when asked about limitations when using the F-16, made it clear that the F-16 will only be allowed to operate within the borders of Ukraine.
HUU DUONG(synthetic)