Simplicius The Thinker

Aug 20, 2023

The biggest news of the day is the Dutch/Danish decision to supply F-16s to Ukraine:

As usual, buried within this “optimism” are a few inconvenient facts, like their insistence on a strict set of protocols being fulfilled before handing over the planes, which will likely not allow Ukraine to have the planes until well into 2024 at the earliest.

The total number remains in question as well, with some sources claiming 42 planes.

I want to re-iterate that even if this actually ends up happening—before Ukraine collapses or surrenders, that is—I view the delivery of such planes as a very good thing. I’ve said since the beginning that all the most advanced Western arms provide essential training to Russian forces, who need to learn how to fight against these systems for the sake of a potential future war against NATO proper.

That means Russian AD operators, fighter pilots, etc., will all get critical experience on dealing with one of NATO’s top aircraft, including registering their characteristics into their radar registries for enhanced identification purposes.

Such a rare opportunity to go up against and study these types of systems in a ‘low risk’ environment is crucial. It’s better to go up against them now, in Ukrainian hands and low numbers, while learning their secrets and weaknesses, than experiencing them for the first time in a full-fledged war against NATO where hundreds/thousands of them are deployed at the same time in a far more uncontrollable setting.

Sure it may seem callous to want Ukraine to have better/more advanced weaponry because the argument is that some Russians will lose their lives from this, but you have to see things in a broader view. It will save more lives in the long term, in light of a much larger future war, if they can master combating these systems now.

As for those continuing to wonder how Ukraine proposes to keep its F-16s safe, or how it currently does with its remaining meager airfleet, here’s a new quote from the Financial Times which sheds light on something I’ve been reporting repeatedly on:

READ MORE