Laura Kayali and Veronika Melkozerova
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron signed a letter of intent for the purchase of up to 100 Dassault-made twin-engine Rafale fighter jets over the next decade. The announcement came only a few weeks after Kyiv signed a cooperation agreement with Sweden that includes the procurement of 100 to 150 single-engine Gripen E fighter jets, manufactured by Saab.
While the deals — which are not yet contracts — send a positive signal about Ukraine’s future air force and Europe’s backing as Kyiv fights off continued Russian attacks in the east of the country, there are financial, logistical and industrial hurdles ahead.
The Ukrainian air force is still largely dependent on Soviet-era aircraft like the MiG-29, the Su-25 and the Su-27, but also operates Lockheed Martin F-16s as well as a limited number of French Mirage 2000-5 jet fighters.
If Kyiv succeeds in building a modern air force with more than 200 new Western warplanes, it would wind up operating a mixed fighter jet fleet — something some Western countries are reluctant to do because of the logistical difficulties, as well as issues with training pilots and mechanics.
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