Ukraine War: Air Power
Ukraine is on the brink of launching a highly anticipated offensive, a move that could significantly alter the course of the conflict.
What sets this offensive apart from previous ones?
The expansion of the Ukrainian Air Force provided the opportunity for the Ukrainian military to have control of the skies, which, if used correctly, caused the Ukrainians to harm the Russians severely during the war of national defence against Russia.
In May 2024, Ukrainians received 30 F-16s from Denmark, which increased Ukrainian airpower to 85 F-16 fighter jets.
However, it’s important to remain realistic: The Russian air force is 13 times larger than Ukraine and numbers around 809 fighter jets.
According to geopolitical analyst Peter Zeihan, the Ukrainian impending offensive is only possible due to the arrival of additional F-16s.
This would give the Ukrainians an opportunity to make tactical decisions that could lead the Russians to be kicked out of the Crimea peninsula, which the Russians took when they conquered Crimea in 2014.
The impending offensive has been primarily fuelled by the arrival of F-16s from NATO, a significant development that follows substantial arms support from the USA and European NATO members.
