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Asia Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Asia Times
Russia base strike a stark warning for US forces on Guam
Ukraine's deep strike on Russia's bomber bases sends a warning that the US risks a similar blow in Guam, where exposed airfields and fragmented defenses leave it open to a Chinese first strike. In what has been dubbed Russia's 'Pearl Harbor,' Ukraine attacked five Russian strategic airbases, damaging multiple aircraft and destroying possibly irreplaceable Soviet-era strategic bombers. The Ukrainian operation, which reportedly took 18 months to plan, saw truck-launched suicide drones wreaking havoc on unprotected bomber aircraft on the ground deep in Russian territory. The War Zone (TWZ) quotes an initial statement from Ukraine's Armed Forces General Staff, which states that the drones hit 41 aircraft and destroyed 13 in the attack. TWZ notes that losing the Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers, which are long out of production, and the costly-to-produce Tu-160 would severely degrade Russia's cruise missile strike capability and nuclear deterrent. The report notes that despite Russia's use of blast walls, decoys, air defenses and improvised tactics, such as placing tires on bomber wings, the lack of hardened aircraft shelters —which are likely unfeasible for large bombers—appears to have yielded mixed results at best. However, the results of the Ukrainian drone attack beg the question of why Russia hasn't built better defenses for its strategic airbases. The Russian defense site Top War explains that the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START 3) required strategic bombers to be parked in the open, allowing satellite and inspection-based verification to prevent miscalculations between the US and Russia. Although Russia suspended its participation in START 3, Top War notes that Russia still complies with its terms in practice by keeping its strategic bombers on standby – a vulnerability that Ukraine exploited. In the Pacific, the US faces similar vulnerability. Kelly Grieco and other writers note in a December 2024 Stimson Center report that US forward airbases in the Asia-Pacific, once considered near-untouchable sanctuaries, are now within range of China's long-range bombers and missile arsenal. If China were to consider a Pearl Harbor-like pre-emptive strike to neutralize US airpower on the ground to forestall intervention in a Taiwan conflict, it would most likely be through a multi-vector attack involving ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones launched from the Chinese mainland, dual-use infrastructure, warships and submarines, civilian vessels and embedded special forces teams. In November 2022, the Chinese state mouthpiece Global Times reported that China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) unveiled a container-based missile launch system at the Airshow China in Zhuhai, showcasing a highly mobile and concealable weapon. According to the report, the system integrates missile launchers, a power station and an operating station within a single container, requiring only four personnel for operation. It states that the system supports YJ-12E and YJ-18E supersonic anti-ship missiles, thereby enhancing coastal defense through rapid deployment and networked targeting. In a 2021 article in International Law Studies, Raul Pedrozo notes that these systems could be hidden in shipping containers aboard civilian vessels, making them nearly impossible to detect. Pedrozo points out that the missiles might be loaded with civilian logistics to evade detection and could be launched autonomously by utilizing targeting information from an external source. In line with that, the UN Conference on Trade and Development's Handbook of Statistics 2023 says China owns nearly 6,000 Chinese-flagged vessels of 1,000 gross tonnage and above and another 2,800 registered under foreign flags – all of which are possible missile carriers. Underscoring Guam's vulnerability, Domingo I-Kwei Yang mentions in an April 2025 Sinopsis report that China is quietly embedding its military potential across the Pacific through dual-use infrastructure projects, which pose a growing threat to Guam in particular. Yang states that Chinese state-backed firms have established ports, airstrips, ICT nodes and fishery hubs in Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and other locations, often funded by opaque loans under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He mentions that these sites, many of which have surveillance, command and launch-enabling capabilities, extend the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) reach into Guam and Australia. Further, Thomas Shugart III and Timothy Walton note in a January 2025 Hudson Institute report that Guam is acutely vulnerable to Chinese missile strikes due to a lack of hardened infrastructure at key US airfields in the region. According to Shugart and Walton, China's PLA Rocket Force (PLARF) possesses hundreds of intermediate-range ballistic missiles capable of reaching Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, where US bases remain largely unhardened. They point out that, unlike China's extensive airfield fortifications, which include over 3,000 aircraft shelters and a robust airfield reconstitution capacity, US Pacific bases, such as those on Guam, lack hardened aircraft shelters, making aircraft and fuel stores susceptible to neutralization by as few as ten submunition-armed missiles. Aside from those vulnerabilities, a May 2025 US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report mentions that the development of the cornerstone AN/TPY-6 radar for Guam's missile defense system was halted by a January 2025 directive from the Deputy Secretary of Defense. The report notes that although the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) was ordered to halt full development, it was told to retain the fielded AN/TPY-6 panel as an experimental asset. The GAO report also highlights that the absence of a clear US Department of Defense (DOD) strategy for transferring system responsibility for operations and sustainment significantly undermines the effectiveness of Guam's future missile defense. While the report states that lead services have been designated for key elements—such as the Aegis Guam System, radars, interceptors and command centers—the DOD has no timeline or plan for when and how operational control and sustainment responsibilities will be transferred from MDA to the services. The report notes this ambiguity stalls the development of training pipelines, personnel structures and maintenance regimes essential for long-term operational readiness, raising the possibility that Guam could receive cutting-edge missile defense hardware without the institutional backbone to keep it functional. In short, Guam faces the worst of both worlds: a patchwork missile defense system and no clear plan for long-term sustainment. Like Russia's exposed bombers, the island risks becoming a sitting duck. Unless the US urgently hardens its Pacific bastions and streamlines command, it could suffer a strategic surprise far more devastating than Ukraine's drone blitz—one engineered by China, cloaked in civilian vessels and launched from deep in the Pacific.
Newsweek
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Russia Redeploys Nuclear-Tipped Air-to-Air Missiles in Echo of Cold War
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Russia is adding nuclear-tipped air-to-air missiles to its weapons inventory, according to the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). The new missile is reminiscent of weapons used by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, with the latest version designed to be used by Russia's MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets. Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment by email. Why It Matters The development comes as tensions between Russia and the West are at their highest level since the Cold War as a result of President Vladimir Putin's decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The War Zone, an online military magazine, notes that while nuclear-armed air-to-air missiles were part of the Soviet Union's arsenal during the Cold War, little is known about their current status within Russia's Aerospace Forces (VKS), which "makes the disclosure from [the Defense Intelligence Agency] intelligence all the more intriguing." Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen in Sirius, Russia, on May 19, 2025. Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen in Sirius, Russia, on May 19, 2025. Contributor/Getty Images What To Know Hans Kristensen, the director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) think tank, said on X (formerly Twitter) that he'd heard rumors for years that Russia was redeploying nuclear-tipped air-to-air missiles, but the "weapon was mysteriously not included in DOD pubs since 2018." The DIA's 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment, published on May 11 said Russia is "expanding its nuclear forces by adding new capabilities, including nuclear air-to-air missiles and novel nuclear systems." Nuclear-armed air-to-air missiles were originally intended for use against formations of bombers during the Cold War. Such formations are not as relevant now "but not having to get within the blast-fragmentation range of a missile warhead to take down a target could be seen as advantageous in the modern era, possibly against stealthy aircraft that can be detected but are hard to lock up, especially by a small radar on a missile during its terminal attack phase," according to The War Zone. Another possibility is that nuclear-armed air-to-air missiles could be used to counter swarms of drones or waves of cruise missiles. Russia maintains a nuclear stockpile of about 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and up to 2,000 non-strategic warheads, the assessment said. Russia is expanding its nuclear posture to its neighbor and ally Belarus by establishing missile and nuclear-capable aircraft capabilities, renovating a nuclear weapons storage site, and training Belarusian crews to handle tactical nuclear weapons, the DIA said. "Throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia has used nuclearrelated rhetoric and military exercises to signal its resolve and deter Russia-perceived Western involvement in the conflict," it added. Russia has ramped up its nuclear threats throughout the war, with the most recent warning coming from Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia's Security Council, in April. Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if it faces aggression from Western nations, he told Kremlin newswire Tass. Shoigu, who was replaced as defense minister in 2024 after holding the position for 12 years, cited amendments made to Russia's nuclear doctrine in November. He said it allows Russia to "use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression against it or the Republic of Belarus, including with the use of conventional weapons." "In the event of foreign states committing unfriendly actions that pose a threat to the sovereignty and territory integrity of the Russian Federation, our country considers it legitimate to take symmetric and asymmetric measures necessary to suppress such actions and prevent their recurrence," Shoigu warned. The DIA report said, however, that Russia is very unlikely to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war "unless Russian leadership judged it faced an existential threat to the regime." What People Are Saying Russian President Vladimir Putin said in December that the Kremlin reserves the right to use nuclear weapons against any country that poses a threat to Russia or Belarus. "When we are talking about certain military dangers that can develop into new threats, we are talking about increasing the responsibility of non-nuclear states that can participate in aggression against Russia, alongside nuclear-capable countries," he said. "And if such countries pose a threat to us, we reserve the right to use our nuclear weapons against them. "We have announced that if the same threats are made against our ally, Belarus, we will do everything to ensure the security of Belarus. And I think this is a very important component of the updated nuclear doctrine." What Happens Next Developments suggest Moscow could be gearing up for a potential face off with NATO. Russia is expanding its troop presence along stretches of its western border, ramping up its military spending at a record pace and intensifying covert operations against the West. Meanwhile, intelligence and military officials have warned that NATO member states must be ready for a potential conflict with Russia.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
General Atomics' Master Software ‘Brain' That Will Operate Its Drone Fighters
Controlling swarms of drones in high-end combat, soaking up and parsing gobs of surveillance data, unleashing advanced weaponry, and constantly evolving onboard systems to meet the rigours of contested environments all via one integrated software suite is becoming an achievable goal. Incorporating machine learning and artificial intelligence to augment human involvement and oversight is key to making this happen. The War Zone spoke with a subject matter expert from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to get an inside look at what the company is doing to usher in this potentially transformational facet of modern combat air operations. Quadratix is General Atomics' answer to integrating various software systems and development teams from across the company into a more cohesive enterprise and for controlling unmanned systems on complex missions. It's borne from over three decades of corporate mission experience with its uncrewed aircraft, such as the MQ-9, and supporting many different types of operations around the globe. General Atomics likens Quadratix to Adobe's Creative Cloud or Microsoft 365 in that it groups together products and capabilities that enable operators to undertake many different tasks in a single software environment. For example, Quadratix includes the company's command and control (C2) and tactical situational awareness software known as TacSit-C2, which does its work by concurrently viewing sensor data to cross-cue airborne payloads. TacSit-C2 alone integrates multiple intelligence signal processing (Multi-INT) C2 into a single application that fuses radar, electronic intelligence (ELINT), communications intelligence (COMINT), as well as electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) data, all with the aim of significantly reducing manpower inputs. TacSit-C2 also features GA-ASI's Multi-Mission Controller (MMC), which enables one user to control multiple unmanned vehicles at the same time, even if they are different types. Leveraging this capability, a single controller might be responsible for a flight of multiple unmanned aircraft, of two distinct types, all searching overlapping areas for objects or events of interest. That user might tell the system to search for a green car and issue an alert when it detects a green car. The software therefore expedites the processing, exploitation, and dissemination of intelligence by automatically sending updates and data to relevant workgroups. Quadratix is also designed to act as the brains of the new class of semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), including General Atomics' YFQ-42A. These aircraft will require a significant level of onboard autonomy to complete their complex missions in coordination with crewed platforms or independently, if needed. Traditionally, unmanned aircraft have relied on a datalink back to a crew at a remote ground control station (GCS) for flight control, sensor manipulation, and data dissemination. Operating at extremely long ranges from the operator and possibly in dense electronic warfare combat environments means that these links may not always be assured. The autonomy enabled within Quadratix ensures that the uncrewed aircraft will be able to carry out their missions even when isolated from the human operator. The War Zone spoke to Darren Moe, GA-ASI senior director for Automation, Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence, about how Quadratix has developed and how it actually works. TWZ: Can you explain the genesis of Quadratix and how it has evolved from the company's experience in the uncrewed aircraft world? Moe: We've been in the technology business all along, but what people mostly saw were our aircraft and not the supporting systems that made them work. Yet that's always been a major part of our effort to support the U.S. and allied nations. When you spend more than 30 years inventing, trialing, operating, evaluating and repeating – as we have done with unmanned systems – you build up a great wealth of insights, not only about the aircraft hardware but also about the enabling systems. There's also a big aspect to our work that takes place downstream of the aircraft. What we're doing is flying around for a really long time, soaking up huge quantities of data and intelligence, and then we and the user need to be able to exploit it. So again, although what everyone knows is that an unmanned aircraft took off and flew a mission and then came home, don't forget that there are military and intelligence and other users that are then getting insights out of the mission data the same day, or later in the week, or months or more – and that processing, exploitation, and dissemination can be as critical as the actual flying missions. One thing that's difficult to understand at first but important in all this is that these aircraft collect much more data than any human could process. Imagine flying in an airplane for 24 hours or more – just think about all that you could see with your eyes – and these aircraft are taking in much more than just information in the visual spectrum. So processing and distilling are critical to getting just the information that matters to the operators and others depending on this. TWZ: Can you detail the major individual capability areas that have been fused together in Quadratix and how you have been able to combine them to create this software? For example, how does TacSit-C2 fit into it? Moe: Think of it in terms of maximizing operations, sensing, sense-making, and processing, exploitation, and dissemination. Classically, a large unmanned aircraft was flown live via a remote link by a human crew at a ground control station somewhere. So you'd taken the crew out of danger but you still had a crew of several people focused on operating the system live. The first task for the software suite is to reduce the number of people needed and the effort required by those still engaged. One way we do that is by automating a great deal of the mission events. So instead of needing a pilot and a sensor operator looking down, fully focused, thinking 'where is the vehicle we're supposed to be looking for,' we have the system look for it as it's flying the surveillance mission. You don't need a set of eyeballs glued to a screen – where if they happen to miss it, the mission may not succeed. Instead, the aircraft and the supporting software fly a route, look down, and when they see a vehicle that might be the one, the system pings you to say, 'hey, here's a truck that matched your description; is this the one?' That's what applications like TacSit-C2 do, or they let one human operator supervise multiple flights all at the same time. Say you want to operate a group of aircraft over a big area to have excellent ISR coverage. You don't need the same number of human crews in individual GCSs all with their hands on a throttle and stick and so forth. You could have one person with a display looking at those aircraft all doing overlapping loops so they, collectively, can see what's below. One of the aircraft might pulse you and say, 'I just spotted a vehicle that looks like what we're supposed to be looking for; here it is.' And the operator can click to see its video feed and think, 'yeah, that's the truck we want.' Maybe that's all you need to do, or maybe the operator does decide to put his or her hands on the controls and take the aircraft off its automated orbit and get closer or do something else. I could go on and on, but the other aspect to Quadratix is that it's not just about the mission. It's about the supervisors and the intelligence officers and supported units and others that need to know about what the mission uncovers — and if that aircraft's discovery of that truck is a triggering event for something else. Let's say we have another operation that's contingent on the discovery of that vehicle. Quadratix can push that insight downstream to customers automatically. My operator doesn't need to scribble it down and have somebody pick up a phone and call somebody. For those inside the enterprise that need to know when things happen, live, it's just like getting a push notification on your phone that your team just scored. TWZ: Does Quadratix offer a menu of options which you can pick and choose from for the most appropriate application for your mission? I'm thinking of the Adobe Creative Cloud analogy here where I might select Photoshop for image manipulation, and Premiere to edit video. Moe: You've hit the nail on the head. Not every mission will require every application and not every user will touch every application. In your metaphor, the creatives that are working in Premiere might be on a different team from the ones that are using InDesign because you have a video production workflow that belongs to the same department as the graphic designers but isn't exactly the same and doesn't have the same individual users. TWZ: Quadratix enables one user to take control of multiple different kinds of unmanned aircraft. How is this achieved? Is it via a ground control terminal or a laptop, for example? Moe: We've been incorporating high degrees of automation into our systems for many years. Our newest types of aircraft can take off and land automatically or over satellite, as mission needs require. Another reason to add this capability was to enable the multi-aircraft control you've mentioned. Much of the time when medium-altitude, long-endurance aircraft go on patrol they are making very long transits to areas of interest or they are spending a lot of time over areas in which perhaps not very much is going on – empty desert, for example, or open ocean. This is part of the value of using unmanned systems. So it's natural to reduce the number of human personnel as much as practical while also maximizing what these aircraft and supporting systems can do, and this can all be done from an office desk or an expeditionary laptop. TWZ: Can different roles be achieved by one operator – i.e., could Quadratix control an MQ-9 gathering data and a CCA prosecuting the target that's being sensed by the MQ-9? Moe: Broadly, yes, but it's important to make two critical points here. First, the MQ-9 capabilities and mission are very different from CCA and so although they're all encompassed within Quadratix, it's helpful to go back to your Creative Cloud example: the users doing MQ-9 ISR and the users doing air superiority with CCA likely wouldn't be the same people or necessarily organized together in the same squadron. Second, CCA always would prosecute a target under human supervision, or under conditions in which an air force pilot or other combat aircrew were directly involved. But Quadratix is ingesting the data from both platforms and correlating with other data sources so that disparate squadrons and other stakeholders have a common targeting display and shared situational awareness. TWZ: Quadratix uses machine learning and AI to control CCAs. Can you explain why this kind of software is critical for CCA in particular and how machine learning and AI are such important factors? Is this about operations in degraded communications where a CCA would need to be semi-autonomous and operating at the edge? Moe: In this context, what machine learning enables is for software running on an aircraft to take in as much as possible about real-world conditions and then, when it's confronted with those or similar conditions again, act in the way you want. We say to the aircraft, 'what you did was right, do that again;' or 'what you did was wrong, don't do that next time.' This is important for a number of reasons. One is – and you alluded to this in your question – let's go back to the classical ways that people operated unmanned systems: a crew is sitting in a GCS somewhere connected via satellite, live, to a real aircraft booming around in the air someplace. But if that aircraft has to stand in against an adversary that can degrade the satellite connection, you're in trouble. Making YFQ-42 semi-autonomous takes that particular play for an adversary off the table. Now it can press in, see what it sees, warn other aircraft and, if necessary, take action ahead of the friendly fighters and let those human pilots stay back out of harm's way for the initial action if that's what happens. TWZ: Could you give us a combat scenario and explain how Quadratix would be used? Perhaps a complex Pacific scenario that includes CCAs. Moe: It's possible to imagine a situation in which large numbers of aircraft, communications networks and Quadratix combined in order to defeat a revanchist adversary in a big, mostly air and maritime environment. You could fly large numbers of MQ-9B SeaGuardians from allied bases in the region and get them into a consistent battle rhythm watching key waterways or other areas of interest. This is one of the great things about unmanned aircraft – when you have sufficient numbers of them, you can patrol nonstop. Even with the exceptional endurance of an MQ-9B, it will eventually run low on fuel and when it does, another one can take its place and so on. This makes it very difficult for an adversary to move around in the air or on the surface without you seeing exactly what they're doing. MQ-9B also has an anti-submarine warfare capability so that even brings undersea contacts within reach as well. Quadratix lets human crews quarterback it from anywhere. They don't need to be in the area of operations necessarily, but they can be extremely relevant. These aircraft, these systems and these crews can be the first ones that see changes in conditions or new patterns of activity that suggest something untoward might be happening, and that really reduces an adversary's ability to use the element of surprise. We call it deterrence by detection. For this example, let's imagine an adversary has made the decision to act. Its vessels and ships might take certain actions, and American and allied commanders then, in turn, might make the decision to respond with actions of their own. You can imagine that FQ-42A would be in the initial waves of aircraft that would launch alongside human-crewed fighters, ISR, tankers, and others. And you can also imagine that events might hit a crisis phase but short of full-on hostilities, and the responsible powers, the U.S. and its allies, say to a notional adversary, 'Hey, we really discourage you from committing your forces east of a certain point. If you do, that will be taken unfavorably.' FQ-42A could fly that barrier combat air patrol, right on the line, and the U.S. and allied air component commanders could know exactly when an adversary stepped across and also have the first aircraft at risk be these CCAs. Quadratix is what enables the FQ-42A to sense what aircraft are over there, where they're moving, whether they're armed and so on. What we'd hope is that the presence of these and other assets prompts the fictional adversary in this scenario to decide not to become an aggressor. That's what we're trying to do here – we want them to look at us and say 'I don't know if I can succeed today and I doubt it so much I'm not going to try.' But clearly part of this has to contemplate the idea that they might commit. If they shoot, an FQ-42A might shoot back. In so doing, the adversary is probably going to energize their radar and maneuver and potentially do other things that let other FQ-42As or other allied aircraft in the area see what is happening and respond appropriately. Quadratix, sharing data and sensing and so forth, will be what helps enable a lot of that capability in the future. We don't want FQ-42A to have to engage with any enemy aircraft in the first place, but it can and will if it must. We certainly don't want it to be shot down, but as you appreciate, we'd all much rather that it be what takes these hits and lets the human pilots come back, because we can build many more FQ-42As to go back and take up the patrol or do the other missions, but we can't pump new conventional fighter aircraft or most importantly, new pilots, out of a factory. Contact the author:
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US confirms sending decommissioned F-16s to Ukraine for spare parts support
The U.S. Air Force has transferred decommissioned F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to supply spare parts for aircraft already donated by European partners, the War Zone reported on May 1. According to an Air Force spokesperson, the U.S. Department of the Air Force "has supported the sustainment of European-donated F-16s to Ukraine by providing disused and completely non-operational F-16s to Ukraine for parts." The aircraft, retired from U.S. service, are non-flyable and lack critical components such as engines and radars, making them unusable for operational missions. On April 26, these stripped-down F-16 airframes were reportedly loaded onto an An-124 cargo plane that departed from Tucson International Airport in Arizona to Poland's Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport, a key logistics hub for Western military assistance to Ukraine. Several European allies have committed to supplying Ukraine with operational F-16s. The Netherlands has pledged 24 aircraft, Denmark has promised 19, with initial deliveries made in 2024, and Norway has pledged between 6 and 22 jets. Belgium has also announced its intent to provide F-16s, though specific numbers remain undisclosed. The F-16 introduced in the late 1970s, is operated by over two dozen countries and is capable of both air-to-air combat and precision ground strikes. In Ukraine, they are used to intercept Russian missiles and drones and provide offensive capabilities to target Russian positions along the front line. Ukraine's General Staff reported on Aug. 29, 2024, that an F-16 fighter jet crashed while repelling a large-scale Russian missile attack. According to the military, the aircraft shot down four Russian cruise missiles before going down, demonstrating what officials described as its "high efficiency." Read also: Trump's peace effort ignores thousands of Ukrainians still tortured in Russian captivity We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The US is finally giving Ukraine F-16s, but they don't fly and are just for spare parts
The US is finally sending F-16s to Ukraine, except they are non-operational aircraft. An Air Force spokesperson confirmed the US is transferring disused fighter jets for spare parts. European countries have sent Ukraine's air force operational American-made fighter jets. The US is taking retired, non-operational F-16s and sending them to Ukraine so they can be used for spare parts, an Air Force spokesperson confirmed on Thursday. Ukraine's air force has received operational American-made F-16 fighter jets from European countries over the past year. The US authorized the transfer, but it has not sent any operational aircraft itself. The Air Force spokesperson told Business Insider that the department "has supported the sustainment of European donated F-16s to Ukraine by providing disused and completely non-operational F-16s to Ukraine for parts." "These F-16s were retired from active US use and are not flyable," the spokesperson explained. "Importantly, they lack critical components, such as an engine or radar, and could not be reconstituted for operational use." Images began to circulate on social media last week showing shrink-wrapped F-16 airframes being loaded into a Ukrainian transport aircraft in Arizona. Open-source intelligence accounts tracked the flight from Tucson to Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in Poland, a key hub for Western military equipment on its way to Kyiv. The War Zone first reported the F-16 transfer, which appears to be the first evidence that the US was sending the airframes. The Trump administration has not commented publicly on the F-16 delivery, but it notably came as Washington and Kyiv were poised to sign a long-awaited minerals deal, which they did on Wednesday. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed skepticism about sending military aid to Ukraine, and his administration even cut it off for a brief period in March. The transfer of F-16s for spare parts, however, could be a sign that Washington is still willing to send much-needed equipment to Kyiv. Last month, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, the top US commander in Europe, talked about the status of the F-16s in Ukraine. "The planes are active, and they fly every day," Cavoli, who heads US European Command, said, adding that there are more F-16s coming with more pilots in the training pipeline. "They've defeated a large number of cruise missile threats, and they delivered an awful lot of offensive attacks as well, specifically, bombing attacks in the east. None of the F-16s have been from the US, though; they've mainly been from northern European countries," the general said. The Biden administration authorized the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine in 2023, and Denmark and the Netherlands began sending their jets last summer. Belgium and Norway also pledged to donate the aircraft. The four NATO countries planned to send dozens of fighters. Though the US has not sent operational aircraft, it played a critical role in training Ukrainian F-16 pilots, as did Romania. In March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the country had received a new shipment of F-16s. It's unclear exactly how many fighter jets Kyiv is flying now. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a decades-old but capable fourth-generation aircraft. The transfers were meant to give Ukraine's aging fleet of Soviet-era fighter jets a much-needed boost for both defensive and offensive missions. They can be armed with powerful air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground munitions. Ukraine has lost at least two F-16s on combat missions since they started flying last year. Kyiv has not disclosed any other potential losses. Read the original article on Business Insider
