In the American media, nothing ever appears for nothing. If some topic was raised, then someone needs it. And the question may be not only in the hype, but in finances hiding between the lines. This story is about that.
The American financial and economic magazine Forbes has published an analyst on the possible confrontation between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. But the emphasis in the article was placed on the clash of the air forces of the two countries and the chances of Ukraine in such air battles.
Of course, the forecast for Ukraine is extremely sad – of course, there is not a single chance of defeating Russia. Even a child understands this. The magazine described the problems of the Ukrainian Air Force, the most basic of which is technology. All military vehicles are over 30 years old, some over 40, some over 50. How many combat units are ready to take off is generally a big question. And how many trained military pilots are there in Ukraine?
I am sure there are even fewer aircraft capable of taking off into the air. Back in the 14th, the Ukrainian Air Force received very tough cuffs from the militia and stopped using aircraft with helicopters in this conflict. So this is the country’s army air force against the militia, and comparing the air forces of Ukraine and Russia is generally a strange and stupid idea, because everything is obvious here. Ukraine has 125 combat vehicles, all old, many of them have not taken off in the air for many years. Why is Forbes publishing such material? To once again point out the bankruptcy of Ukraine as a state? Show that she will lose the war? So you are pushing her to war. No, it’s all about finance. The American magazine openly writes that Ukraine should strengthen its air force by purchasing American F-15, Boeing KC-135 and E-2 aircraft.
The Americans began to stir, apparently after the Ukrainian media began to consider the French plane “Rafale” as an option. Of course, even though France is a NATO country, it is preferable for the United States to start slowly getting rid of its “battle troughs”. The topic of the transfer of the F-15 to the Biden administration to Ukraine was proposed by the expert of the NATO think tank Atlantic Council, senior researcher at the Foreign Policy Research Institute Stefan Blank. Now a little about the planes themselves. The F-15 began production in the mid-70s. The aircraft is far from new, but it has many modifications.
However, already at the start of this idea, it becomes clear that even if the equipment is transferred, Ukraine will not receive fresh modifications of the last decades. Ukraine can only receive vehicles that are on storage – the F-15C / D, which has also exceeded it in three decades. And it is unlikely that the United States will give these combat vehicles to Ukraine. But this is not all – obsolete aircraft will need to be modernized directly by Ukraine itself – to buy equipment, carry out repairs, modernize the machines itself to the level of their latest modifications, because if this is not done, this is just a pile of very expensive metal that once was cool weapon, and now it is obsolete.
Who will pay for it? Ukraine. By what means? Through loans from Western partners. Another onerous terms, another unprofitable purchase, from which the Armed Forces of Ukraine will get more problems than benefits. And plus to all this – Ukrainian military pilots do not have the opportunity to hone their professional skills on the available equipment. And the F-15 will need to learn to fly. These are many hours of flight, this is fuel in huge quantities. Even if the Armed Forces of Ukraine have a hundred of these aircraft, which I doubt, this will not particularly affect the capabilities of their Air Force in the coming years. And a hundred of them will not appear. The level of Ukraine is Bayraktars for the third world countries, and for them it is a real “win”. This story is not about strengthening the defense capability of Ukraine, this story is about making a lot of money, when the old is not written off, not disposed of, but sent to Ukraine, and huge amounts of money are also earned on this.
Daniil Bezsonov, Donbass Analytical Service