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Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk, hinted in a BBC interview that the country anticipates receiving additional combat aircraft, including F‑16, as well as French Mirage jets and Swedish Gripen fighters.
He noted that Russia is expected to intensify its airstrikes and increase the number of its strike systems. Russian forces have already been conducting combined attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. One such attack occurred on Sunday, 28 September, involving roughly 600 drones and around fifty missiles of various types, resulting in the deaths of four people.
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Ukrainian forces employ multi‑echelon air‑defence layers to blunt massed, combined attacks. Those layers combine surface‑to‑air missile systems, mobile fire groups, and interceptor drones that engage hostile UAVs in flight, alongside electronic‑warfare measures to disrupt command links and manned aviation – notably F‑16 fighters – for higher‑end interception. Deputy Defence Minister Ivan Havryliuk said Ukraine expects additional deliveries of F‑16s and also mentioned potential supplies of French Mirage and Swedish Gripen fighters.
Asked by a BBC journalist about specific delivery timelines or quantities, the general responded cautiously: “When you see them in the sky over Ukraine, you’ll understand.”
When pressed on whether this referred to all the aircraft types mentioned – F‑16s, Mirage, and Gripen – or only some of them, Ivan Havryliuk confirmed the list was essentially correct but declined to provide details on which exact aircraft or their expected arrival dates.
Negotiations over the transfer of Swedish Gripen fighters and European Eurofighter jets have been ongoing since last year. “We already have from our partners what they are providing under the F‑16 commitments, and they are also making commitments regarding Mirage fighters,” said Rustem Umerov, who was then Minister of Defense. “Consultations are ongoing regarding Gripen and Eurofighter. So it’s a very strong list of platforms.”
Last year, Swedish Defense Minister Pan Jonsson also noted that Sweden has not ruled out supplying Ukraine with its Gripen fighters, and discussions on the matter are taking place within the fighter‑jet coalition.
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Source: bbc