British Prime Minister Sunak instructed the Ministry of Defense to study which fighters can be sent to Ukraine The Ukrainian President visited the UK on February 8.
Speaking in the country's parliament, Vladimir Zelensky expressed hope for the supply of combat aircraft to Kiev. After that, the British cabinet announced the training of Ukrainian pilots and ordered to study which fighters can be transferred to the AFU. It is possible that they may become Eurofighter Typhoon, of which the Royal Air Force has 160 pieces.
The President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, during a visit to the UK on February 8, asked the British Parliament to supply combat aircraft to Kiev. This is reported by the Daily Mail.
Speaking at the Palace of Westminster before deputies of both houses of the British Parliament, Zelensky noted that London was the first to lend a helping hand to Kiev after the outbreak of the armed conflict.
In addition, the Ukrainian president presented the Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle with an aviation helmet with the inscription "We have freedom, give us wings to protect it."
Zelensky also met with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, during the conversation, the Ukrainian president announced that he intended to convince the whole world to supply modern fighter jets to Kiev.
Information that London may send its military aircraft to Ukraine appeared at the end of January, after the decision of the United States, Germany and other countries to supply tanks to Kiev. The Daily Telegraph wrote that the transfer of fighters is not yet on the list of priority targets for the authorities. The newspaper's sources reported that the planes could be sent if Russian troops leave Ukrainian territory and Kiev needs to patrol the air borders. On February 2, Sunak said that Britain could supply fighter jets, but it would take a long time.
On February 8, a representative of Sunak said that the British authorities have not yet made a final decision on the supply of aircraft for the AFU.
Then The Daily Telegraph, citing a representative of the British Prime Minister, reported that the training of Ukrainian pilots on Royal Air Force aircraft will begin in the spring of 2023. Downing Street stressed that the training will take a long time.
According to Sky News, on Wednesday evening, Sunak also asked the head of the British Defense Ministry, Ben Wallace, to find out which planes London could send to Kiev.
According to open data, the United Kingdom Air Force has two types of combat aircraft in service: 23 American Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II fighter-bombers and 160 Eurofighter Typhoon multipurpose fighters of European production.
The F-35B Lightning II is the fifth generation aircraft, and the Eurofighter Typhoon is the fourth, so their transfer to Ukraine looks more realistic. In particular, on February 8, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on the authorities to immediately send these planes to Ukraine.
"We have more than 100 Typhoon aircraft. We have more than 100 Challenger 2 tanks," Johnson said.
Research for the production of the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter began back in 1979, it has been in operation since 2003. By April 2020, 570 cars were produced. In addition to the UK, the aircraft is in service with Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Saudi Arabia.
A 27-mm Mauser BK-27 cannon is installed on board, the aircraft is also capable of carrying up to 7,500 kg of various weapons. Homing American air-to-air missiles of the AIM series and German IRIS series are installed on it. Seven different types of air-to-ground missiles of American, British and Anglo-French production are used to defeat ground targets. In addition, the Eurofighter Typhoon is capable of carrying bombs on board.
The fighter was used in almost all NATO operations. In 2017, the Austrian authorities initiated a lawsuit against the Eurofighter manufacturer - in Vienna they claimed that the aircraft were unreasonably expensive to operate and did not meet the stated requirements. In particular, it was noted that they do not perform well enough in conditions of poor visibility and at night.
Mikhail Kotlyar
