NATO countries so far pledged a total of 103 fighter jets for Ukraine.

According to a tweet from Oryx, NATO countries already pledged the delivery of 103 fighter jets to Ukraine, of which 45 have already been delivered.

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MiG-29 of the Slovak Air Force, one of the fighter jet models delivered to Ukraine (Picture sources: img.over-blog-kiwi.com)

In a long and very sensitive process of surmounting tough political obstacles, NATO countries already overcame a couple of times ‘’red lines’’ drawn by Moscow in terms of deliveries of some military equipment to Ukraine. This move keeps increasing with fighter jets :

• 14 Su-25 purchased by NATO from Bulgaria in April 2022, already delivered to Ukraine.
• 4 Su-25 in August 2022 purchased from Macedonia.
• 10 MiG-29AS/UBS and 3 MiG-29AS/UB purchased from Slovakia in March and April 2023, some to serve as spare parts.
• 14 MiG-29S purchased from Poland in April and May 2023.
• 42 F-16A/B to be delivered by The Netherlands, minus a few units kept in The Netherlands for training of the Ukrainian pilots.
• 19 F-16A/B to be delivered by Denmark.
• F-16A/B to be delivered by Norway.

Ukraine desperately needs to compensate for its aircraft losses and reinforce its air power to counter Russian air strikes carried out with fighter/bomber jets, attack helicopters and armed drones. NATO countries are supplying the attacked country with an increasing range of aircraft of both Soviet and Western origins, which leads to obvious logistical and maintenance concerns.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Olexiy Resnikov believes that the delivery of F-16 fighters could be a serious game-changer in the face of the Russian invasion. He expresses himself in this sense in a podcast broadcast by the German magazine Bild. There is talk that these aircraft will be accessible to Ukraine next year. Other factors will obviously play crucial roles in validating this possibility disputed by many. With enhanced air superiority, Ukrainian forces could be able to push back against the aggressors, regaining control of key territories. The fighter jets are becoming a symbol of hope for the Ukrainian people.