Vladimir Putin is facing a major crisis with Ukraine’s air force is poised to receive US fighter jets armed with British-made bombs in months in a devastating blow to the Russian army.
The first shipment of the F-16s is set to reach Ukraine as early as July. These will be loaded with the UK’s Paveway IV bombs following a pledge from Britain.
The £30,000-a-pop lethal weapons convert unguided munitions, known as “dumb bombs”, into precision-guided weapons. They also use laser or GPS for guidance and weigh 500lb.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps told The Sun: “We were the first to send in anti-tank missiles.
“The first to send in main battle tanks, the first to send in missiles with the permissions to use them properly.
“And now we’re going to be the first also to provide glide bombs for those (F-16) aircraft as well.”
The move to equip Ukraine with these high-tech weapons was announced back in April as part of a major £500 million lethal aid package.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the announcement as a breakthrough after calling for the West to help bolster Ukraine’s long-range capabilities.
It also comes at a vital time as Russia has been able to make ground on the battlefield in recent weeks.
Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister said: “To maintain the required pace of the offensive…it is necessary to increase the volume and quality of weapons and military equipment supplied to the troops, primarily weapons.”
And the Kremlin announced that Russian troops attacked the command headquarters of the Ukrainian army’s southern grouping in Odesa this week.
The assault was carried out with Russian air force missiles and artillery, Moscow’s defence ministry claimed.
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