Zelensky's Call for Fighter Jets Leaves UK Searching for Options

摘要

However, although UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak responded that "nothing is off the table", and the UK had already that day committed to start training Ukrainian pilots on NATO-standard jets, supplying Ukraine with fighters remains problematic. UK Defence Minister James Heappey noted to the House of Commons Defence Committee in October 2022 that it takes the Royal Air Force (RAF) 4.8 years on average to train a UK fast jet pilot to the point of joining an operational conversion unit. This has contributed to the RAF suffering a significant backlog in training its own pilots, let alone any from Ukraine. Then there is the problem of what fast jets the UK could actually supply. Most obviously the RAF is unlikely to give up any of its growing fleet of fifth-generation F-35B Joint Strike Fighters - even if the United States sanctioned that, which is unlikely. Apart from the F-35s the RAF operates a fast jet combat fleet consisting of 119 Eu-rofighter Typhoons (including conversion trainers), although in March 2021 the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced plans to retire its older Tranche 1 Typhoons in 2025, since it is deemed not economically viable to upgrade them. At this point the RAF had 30 Tranche 1 Typhoons remaining in frontline service. While these might be considered for Ukraine, adding a new fast jet type to the inventory of the Ukrainian Air Force (Povitryani Syly Ukrayiny - PSU) would bring with it significant logistics and support issues: a dilemma already being faced by the Ukrainian armed forces.