- Ukrainian pilots implored the West to supply them with F-16 fighter jets, in a new CNN interview.
- The pilots also described the difficulties of fighting against Russia's dominant air power.
As the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian forces gets underway, a pair of Ukrainian pilots implored the West to supply them with F-16 fighter jets and described the difficulties of competing with Russia's dominant air power.
In a recent interview with CNN, a pilot in the Ukrainian air force said the country's aged Soviet-era Su-25s can't compete with Russia's Su-35s, their radars, and long-range missiles.
"We lose many aircraft to these interceptors," a Su-25 pilot called Oleksyi, who goes by the callsign "Pumba," told CNN.
Laying out the horrors of losing airman comrades in the war, Pumba said, however, that he is somehow able to "find some strength" and "fly again" because air support is so crucial at the moment.
"When you see the explosion of your colleague in front of your eyes, in real time – it's a shock," he said.
Pumba said the air force's "main mission" is to support troops on the ground. "When we complete a mission, our guys on the ground send us thank you messages," he added, saying a strong air force is generally essential for morale.
However, a deputy battalion commander highlighted that strong Russian air force power has made it difficult for Ukrainian forces to advance.
"Continuously, all day long, they work either by helicopters or by airplanes," a deputy battalion commander in one of the units of the 128 Separate Territorial Defense Brigade told CNN.
"In general, aviation support is sorely lacking," the commander, who goes by the call sign "Spas," said.
Ukraine has supplied 45 Su-25s and Mig-29s from NATO and other nations in Europe, according to CNN, but some pilots believe the US-made F-16 fighter jets would be a "game changer."
"We try to maneuver to avoid them"
A Mig-29 pilot, who goes by "Juice," told CNN if the West supplied the country with F-16s, the counteroffensive would be "much more effective" and "safer for our guys on the ground" because the versatile fighter jets would be able to compete with the Russian equivalent.
He explained that Ukraine could only use about 25% of the potential of Western-supplied missiles while using other kinds of jets.
"We can't use 100% of its potential because of range limitations because of accuracy limitations," the pilot said. "The same missiles on F-16 would be much more effective," he added.
Ukraine's pilots had adjusted their strategies to avoid being shot down, said "Juice."
"We try to maneuver to avoid them and define windows to engage the targets when the risks are the lowest and actually it works. But it doesn't guarantee our safety because Russia is trying to learn as well, and they're also changing their tactics," he told CNN.
A war studies expert recently echoed this, saying that using F-16s would be a crucial aspect of taking out Russia's artillery as a means of breaking through Russia's defenses, Insider recently reported.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his allies lobbied for months to receive some of the jets, a Pentagon spokesman recently said sending F-16s to Ukraine is a "long-term" endeavor and "will not be relevant to the upcoming counteroffensive," Insider reported.