This is the best summary I could come up with:
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The Netherlands and Denmark have said they will definitely give F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine once conditions for the transfer have been met, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Sunday as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited his country.
“Today we can announce that the Netherlands and Denmark commit to the transfer of F-16 Aircraft to Ukraine and the Ukrainian Air Force, including cooperation with the United States and other partners once the conditions for such a transfer have been met,” he said in a joint press conference with Zelenskiy at a military air base in Eindhoven.
Zelenskiy who called the deal a “breakthrough agreement” said the exact number of aircraft will be discussed “a little later”.
The pledge is the first real promise of F-16’s for Ukraine’s armed forces and comes a few days after the United States approved the possible delivery of the fighter jets by the Netherlands and Denmark.
Zelenskiy arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday as part of an ongoing push to boost Ukraine’s air defences, and is expected to continue to Denmark later in the day.
The Netherlands, together with Denmark, has in recent months led international efforts to train Ukrainian pilots for F-16’s and to ultimately deliver the jets to help counter the air superiority of Russia, whose forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The original article contains 403 words, the summary contains 226 words. Saved 44%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
While the transfer is unlikely to alter the battlefield it is an important political statement of commitment. It also integrates the Ukrainian air force with NATO systems and allows them to use the same ordnance without modification. The aircraft data links can connect to ground based systems such as Patriot which should improve defense against Russian cruise missile attacks. But the planes lack stealth capability and are highly vulnerable to Russia’s S-400 anti-aircraft batteries. So no game-changer but welcome nevertheless.
Good
That’s what you get when you don’t take any responsibility for taking down MH17. And starting a kleptocratic war.
Chad countries
So my father has been of the opinion that this is it. Russians lose after air support and ukraine gains superiority. I keep telling him WW1 is the blueprint here however.
Who is right?
I’d say these are both pretty extreme perspectives. The F16 is not going to be the wonder weapon that leads to instant victory because Russia still has a lot of anti-air capabilities and the F16 is not a stealth platform. It will however have a role in countering their air raids and long range missiles.
While there are some parallels to the trench warfare of WW1, the constant capture and subsequent loss of ground is not what’s been happening. There is (slow) progress being made at multiple fronts. I’d say a more accurate comparison could be to the allied breakout from Normandy in WW2.
In any case the F16s will be a valuable weapon in Ukraine’s combined arms.
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Last I was told neither side wants to be too bold with their aircraft because they can’t overcome air defence. Unless Ukraine can overcome combined Russian AA and aircraft and really run amok, it can only be seen as one key piece in a large picture.
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