Ukraine Needs Modern Air Force to Defend Against Russia
Ukraine needs a strong air force to defend its skies against Russian military aviation. That’s according to Hennadii Khazan, president of the Ukrainian Pilots Association.
Khazan says Ukraine should have at least 200 aircraft to keep its airspace safe from Russia. This is similar to Israel’s capabilities, which would allow Ukraine to ensure that its skies are exclusively for use by Ukrainian planes and not Russian military aircraft.
To make this happen, Khazan suggests modernizing Ukraine’s existing Soviet-era aircraft. He notes that some MiG-29s could be upgraded to a higher standard. This would give Ukraine a stronger air force without needing to buy many new planes.
Training Ukrainian pilots on foreign fighter jets is also an option. French Aid to Ukraine has reported that some Ukrainian pilots have completed training on French Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets. However, the exact details of this training and how many pilots were trained are not known.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military intelligence has revealed that a Russian An-72 military transport plane blew up at an airfield in Moscow Oblast, near Russia’s border with Ukraine. The An-72 is a type of Soviet-era transport aircraft used mainly by the military.
Read More @ euromaidanpress.com