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F-35 Lightning II

In the future, Ukraine would like to receive fifth-generation F-35 fighters from the United States, and new-generation fighters from Sweden, which are currently under development. This was stated 21 September 2023 by the representative of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat. “We also need to think about the future, not just the F-16. There are F-35 aircraft, there will also be a new model Gripen,” he said at a briefing at the Ukraine media center, which was broadcast on YouTube.

Ignat said that at the moment Ukraine considers its priority to receive fourth-generation F-16 fighters from the United States, and the JAS 39 Gripen fighters of the same generation in service with Sweden are in second place on the list of priorities. The first fifth-generation fighter F-35, produced by the American corporation Lockheed Martin, was released in 2007, its cost reached $221 million. Currently, the price of the F-35, due to the expansion of production scale, has been reduced to $79 million.

Maintaining Western F-16 fighter jets may cost Ukraine dearly and not bring the appropriate effect, Austrian military analyst Tom Cooper said in an exclusive interview with NV on 29 May 2023. “The problem with F-16 (U.S. fourth-generation multirole fighter) is the following: these aircraft are extremely expensive to operate and maintain,” he said. “What you get for this huge amount of money spent on their operation and maintenance is too little,” he said.

It would be better if Ukraine received aircraft like the Swedish-made fourth-generation fighter jet the Saab 39 Gripen, the U.S. strike fighter F-18 Hornet, or the U.S. F-35 Lightning II strike fighters, as they would be most effective in the fight against Russia, he said. “The F-35 is the newest (stealth) fighter-bomber of the U.S. Ground Forces, the NATO Air Force, and the Israeli Air Force,” the expert said.

“Anything less really won’t be effective against Russia. Why? Because such aircraft can really penetrate through Russian air defense, fly into the disputed airspace, which is protected by Russian air defense, and operate in it. The F-16 won’t be able to do that. Gripen won’t be able to do that. (The fourth-generation pan-European fighter) Eurofighter Typhoon won’t be able to do that either.”

The United States has not approved delivery of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Ukraine, nor have such deliveries been requested as of late 2023. The US approved Denmark and the Netherlands to provide the American-made jets to Ukraine. The US took this step in response to concerns over Russian S-400 air defense missile equipment stationed in the border region of Ukraine. Ukraine had been asking for F-16s since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. However, Western allies held off, fearing an escalation of the war. It will take months for Ukrainian pilots to be trained.

The F-35 had been flying for 17 years. More than 965 F-35s have been delivered and more than 430,000 sorties completed. There has been one pilot fatality and less than 10 confirmed destroyed aircraft. The jet costs about $100 million.

The F-35 is one of the most advanced and sophisticated aircraft in the U.S. inventory, and the sale or transfer of such technology is typically subject to strict scrutiny and would be a significant policy decision.