- [Narrator] This is the F-16 fighter jet,
developed by the US with a number of European partners.
And this is the Su-35, the Russian equivalent being deployed
in the Ukraine War.
Kyiv says it wants 200 western jets,
such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16, or Swedish Gripen,
so they can dominate the skies.
- We have freedom, give us wings to protect it.
- [Narrator] And while the US has said
it won't give fighter jets to Kyiv,
the UK and some European countries are now considering
sending combat aircraft.
- Any decision to send or to supply combat aircraft
would inevitably be significant.
- [Narrator] So what capabilities could western jets
give Ukraine?
And how do they compare to the main Russian jet deployed
in the war?
(jet engine roaring)
First, let's look at why western jets are important to Kyiv.
So far, neither Ukraine nor Russia
has achieved air superiority.
That's an air force's ability to take control of the sky,
stopping anybody other than themselves
from entering a particular airspace.
At the start of the war,
Moscow had nearly 1,200 combat-capable aircraft,
according to the IISS Think Tank.
That was far more than Kyiv's inventory
of around 120 aging Soviet-era aircraft.
- So the challenge for Ukraine is its combat air inventory
is increasingly difficult to maintain.
In a combat environment, you really need
as many of your aircraft available and on the flight line
as you can have, almost round the clock.
- [Narrator] To avoid using their limited jets,
Ukraine has focused on its air defenses,
shooting down over a hundred Russian planes and helicopters
with surface-to-air missiles.
This has made Moscow reluctant to send its own jets
beyond the frontline.
Analysts say it's mainly used the long-range capabilities
of its air force to strike Ukrainian targets from afar.
- So one of the challenges the Ukrainians have is
that their Soviet-era air-to-air missiles,
particularly the beyond-visual-range weapons
don't have anything like the engagement range
that the Russian combat aircraft do at the moment.
- [Narrator] Experts say western jets would allow Kyiv
to counter Russia's air force directly,
changing the balance of power in the skies.
So, let's look at the specifics
of how these jets operate on the battlefield.
Russia's Su-35 is larger than the aircraft Ukraine
could receive from its allies,
allowing it to carry a bigger weapon's payload.
It's also equipped with a passive sensor
that can spot opposing jets without being detected itself.
Paired with long-range missiles that can fire at targets
over 60 miles away,
analysts say it's had a distinct advantage in medium
and long-range aerial encounters
against Ukraine's current inventory of Soviet-era aircraft.
But western jets, such as the F-16, would come equipped
with advanced medium-range missiles,
including the American AIM-120.
Analysts say these weapons could level the playing field,
allowing Ukraine to more effectively challenge
Russia's air force in medium and long-range encounters.
But when it comes to air power,
it's not just the systems that matter.
The person piloting the jet is just as important.
Experts say Ukraine's pilots will need extensive training
for up to a year to use any western aircraft effectively.
- You can't just take somebody out
of a Soviet-design combat aircraft and expect them
to be able to fight to the same level the next day.
Even for an experienced fast-jet pilot,
there is a period of conversion and just to get used
to the aircraft, its displays, how it handles,
and then you also gotta learn how to fight the aircraft.
- [Narrator] So the UK has agreed
to start training Ukrainian pilots,
as Kyiv continues to press its allies into providing jets.
Western governments are nervous that providing the weapons,
which could be used to hit targets inside Russia,
could escalate the war.
(missile firing)
But analysts say that any model of jet
would complement the arsenal of weaponry,
including HIMARS and tanks,
that Kyiv is already receiving from its allies.
(tense music)