But the missiles, only recently confirmed to be in the hands of Ukraine\u2019s air force, are just one part of a complicated strategy to expel Kremlin forces completely from the country, a Ukrainian fighter pilot told The Hill.<\/p>\n
The pilot, who identifies himself by his call sign \u201cJuice,\u201d said the country\u2019s air force has recently used the anti-radiation missiles to suppress Russian air defense systems.<\/p>\n
Their presence in Ukraine was confirmed for the first time Monday by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl, who said the missiles have been included in several recent lethal aid packages from the United States and make existing Ukrainian capabilities more effective.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great support for us. Actually, it\u2019s one of the most advanced weapons that we have at the moment,\u201d Juice said, but stressed that the missiles are only \u201cone part of the complex mission.\u201d <\/p>\n
Though Department of Defense officials have not identified the specific anti-radiation missiles or the amount sent, CNN reported that the munitions are AGM-88 High Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles, which can hit targets more than 30 miles away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are very expensive and we have a limited number,\u201d Juice said, adding that they have to be selective in their targeting, taking out the Russian army\u2019s \u201cmost dangerous\u201d long-range missile systems.<\/p>\n
The U.S. anti-radiation missiles are thought to be involved in the destruction of at least five Russian anti-aircraft artillery systems, four S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile systems and a Pantsir-S1 missile system, the Kyiv Post reported Monday. <\/p>\n
Such battlefield successes are key in breaking through intense, yet stagnant, fighting along what is considered a 2,000 kilometer (1,243 mile) front line, dividing Ukraine from the Russian-occupied territory in the east and south. <\/p>\n
But the nation needs more help, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has continued to push for the international community to step up its support. The aid is critical for Ukraine\u2019s armed forces to push Russia back by destroying its supply lines and breaking down its will to fight before winter, when conditions could change the battlefield and the geopolitical stage, he warns.<\/p>\n
To that end, the Pentagon has signaled it is preparing to scale up its collaboration with Ukraine\u2019s air force \u2014 a critical component in the country\u2019s defense \u2014 to include U.S. service members beginning to train Ukrainian pilots on advanced American fighter jets. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are real questions about what would be most useful in terms of assisting the Ukrainian Air Force and improving its capabilities. It\u2019s not inconceivable that down the road, Western aircraft could be part of the mix on that, but the final analysis has not been done,\u201d Kahl said in a briefing with reporters. <\/p>\n
Even as Ukrainian ground troops put to effective use American-provided High Mobility Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and multiple launch rocket systems \u2014 celebrated for their ability to disrupt and destroy Russian military supply lines \u2014 Juice said that he hopes the U.S. will help with the needs of the air force. <\/p>\n
\u201cI totally understand that HIMARS and Howitzers, UAVs, all of that are critically important for our armed forces,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we are still saying that the air force, in modern war, is too important, too critical. And we need to improve our capabilities.\u201d <\/p>\n
Alex Gorgan, a Ukrainian infantry officer who launched a private initiative that is training Ukrainian pilots on Western aircraft, seconds that, calling Ukrainian pilots \u201cpriceless\u201d. <\/p>\n
Gorgan said it is impossible for Ukraine to retake occupied territory from the Russians without quickly building up its air force capacity.<\/p>\n
Gorgan launched his initiative, called the Training Center for Pilots of Advanced Military Aircrafts, alongside Andrey Vavrysh, CEO of SAGA Development, and in coordination with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. <\/p>\n
Gorgan said the idea for this initiative came while fighting in the trenches of eastern Ukraine in March, under intense shelling from Russian forces. <\/p>\n
\u201cI thought \u2018oh my god, we need this specific airplane, A-10 Thunderbolt, which gives close air support for infantry,\u2019\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the United States cannot give the plane because we don\u2019t have pilots, but we don\u2019t have pilots because we don\u2019t have planes, so we have to break this circle. The weakest point of this circle is the ability to have previous study,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Gorgan\u2019s initiative focuses on using flight simulators to begin training pilots on the A-10, as well as other advanced aircraft Ukraine hopes to receive. <\/p>\n
U.S. lawmakers have identified pilot training as key to beginning the process of delivery of advanced war planes.<\/p>\n
A proposal by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), included in the House-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act, aims to provide $100 million to train Ukrainian pilots to use American planes.<\/p>\n
The list of needs, demands and hopes are long.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian officials have long called for American-made F-15 and F-16 fighter jets. <\/p>\n
The Ukrainians also view attack helicopters as critical in carrying out a robust defense \u2014 Juice brought up Boeing\u2019s AH-64 Apache helicopters, though conceded it is unlikely, and that they would settle for the Bell AH-1 SuperCobra or Bell AH-1Z Viper.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I\u2019m not a helicopter expert, but in general I know their needs and all these helicopters are the platforms for modern aiming systems, reconnaissance and modern precision missiles,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe could provide the very precision attacks without any civilian casualties \u2026 exactly, precisely, to target, and from large distances to be safe from the enemy\u2019s air defense.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ukrainian air force has long been in touch with the U.S. Air Force, and since the start of the invasion, Juice said, the Americans have provided not only advice in those first few critical weeks, but also friendship.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are trying just to help, just by any possible way, even just a friendly conversation, \u2018how are you, are you still alive?\u2019\u201d he says with a laugh, but adds more seriously that the pilots consider each other \u201cbrothers in arms,\u201d referring back to a tragic training accident in 2018 when both a Ukrainian and an American pilot were killed. <\/p>\n
\u201cU.S. Air Force became the real brothers in arms for us, with blood on our soil,\u201d he said, adding that the 2018 exercise was critically important in their training as it was designed specifically to prepare against a full-scale Russian invasion \u2014 four years after Moscow had seized territory in Ukraine\u2019s east and on the Crimean peninsula. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe understood that, these fallen guys, won\u2019t ask [us not] to continue, their wish was to make this, make it happen, to continue to complete this mission,\u201d Juice said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the mission of this exercise was to prepare us against war with Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
But the missiles, only recently confirmed to be in the hands of Ukraine\u2019s air force, are just one part of a complicated strategy to expel Kremlin forces completely from the country, a Ukrainian fighter pilot told The Hill. The pilot, who identifies himself by his call sign \u201cJuice,\u201d said the country\u2019s air force has recently […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":277097,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[2208,338,456,10091],"class_list":{"0":"post-277094","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-fight","9":"tag-russia","10":"tag-ukraine","11":"tag-us-missiles"},"yoast_head":"\n