"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Monday that Kyiv has signed a letter of intent to acquire up to 100 of the French fighter jets over the next 10 years. Under the new arrangement, Ukraine is also allowed to receive advanced French radars and eight French-Italian Surface-to-Air Missile Platform/Terrain air defense systems, each equipped with six launchers. "This is a historic agreement. It is of great value that France is taking such a step toward achieving real, guaranteed security in Europe," Zelenskyy said."
"The agreement complements other commitments for his country to obtain the US-made F-16 and Sweden's Gripen, making the trio the likely backbone of its future air force. The Ukrainian president said in August that his country was aiming for its next fighter fleet to be fully Western for "full NATO integration." Kyiv's air force now operates primarily older Soviet-designed fighters, supplemented by a limited number of Western airframes acquired since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022."
Kyiv signed a letter of intent to acquire up to 100 Rafale F4 fighters to be delivered by 2035 and to receive advanced French radars and eight French-Italian Surface-to-Air Missile Platform/Terrain air defense systems, each with six launchers. The Rafale commitment complements separate plans to obtain US-made F-16s and up to 150 Swedish JAS 39 Gripen E fighters, shaping a future air force built on Western platforms. Ukraine currently operates mainly older Soviet-designed jets, with some donated Western aircraft in service, and aims for a fully Western fleet to support NATO integration.
Read at Business Insider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]