At the Vilnius summit, NATO's biggest achievement was to provide critical support to Ukraine by intensifying its support operations for Ukraine. In particular, 11 countries decided to form a fighter alliance to provide Ukraine with pilot training, warplanes, ammunition and tactical guidance.
The scale of this alliance is much larger than the tank alliance formed by the previous four countries, which fully demonstrates Ukraine's urgent need for fighters.
The enthusiasm and anxiety of Western countries to provide fighter jets is stronger than when tanks were supplied before. Currently, NATO is conducting pilot training, which is carried out jointly by several countries, and even if each country trains only 10 pilots, there will be a reserve of 100 pilots.
The number of retired F-16 and F-18 fighter jets, as well as the Gripen fighter jet, is enough to meet Ukraine's needs for a short period of time to acquire Western fighters, so as to launch air and ground combat operations, and may achieve results in the near future.
Ensuring the effective use of fighters is not just as simple as providing a fighter, but also requires a complete air combat system as support. In the past, because the fighter did not have a perfect system to rely on, it was easy to be shot down in the air, which led many countries to hesitate and pass the buck to each other on the issue of assisting Ukraine's fighter planes.
NATO countries are actively planning to help Ukraine build an air combat system suitable for its own situation. At the same time, there are operational differences between the Soviet-style and the Western-style, and Soviet-style pilots need time to get used to it.
In addition, there are also obvious differences in airborne equipment, ammunition and air tactics, etc., which require targeted intensive training for pilots during the training process.
The air combat system between the United States and Western countries is complete and indispensable, including ground guidance, air early warning, early warning aircraft and other elements, while air refueling and electronic warfare have also become the norm.
The F-16, F-18, and JAS-39 Gripen fighters flying over Ukraine are actually conducting integrated operations with the support of NATO's intelligence and early warning, command system, air defense and anti-missile and other elements, rather than a single aircraft fighting.
Ukraine's air bases are sparse in number and have a low security index, especially west of the Dnieper, which are under threat from the Russian Aerospace Forces. It is a serious challenge to ensure that these bases can operate effectively and ensure that the fighters can give full play to their due strength.
According to **, Western countries may prioritize the provision of radar systems to Ukraine to detect missile attacks by Russian Aerospace Forces and warplanes. In addition, it will provide more air defense and anti-missile **, which will significantly improve the interception effect of fighter and missile air strikes.
NATO's warplane assistance will bring a key turning point to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. If Ukraine uses the West** to rebuild its air force and engage in air combat with the Russian Aerospace Forces, it may increase the results of the war.
Western countries have standardized ** equipment, which is one of its important advantages. The use of equipment such as the American AIM-9X Super Sidewinder and AIM-120 medium-range missiles can improve close-range combat and long-range combat capabilities.
The traditional advantages of the Russian Aerospace Forces such as the Su-24, Su-25, Su-27, Su-30, and even the Su-35 may be lost.
The intensification of the air battle between Russia and Ukraine is inevitable, and guidance will play an important role in this process. The threat will intensify as important targets of the Russian ground forces, such as personnel and material storage sites, will face more frequent attacks, even on the Crimean island.