What jets could we send – and is Sunak right that training takes too long?

Leader’s dream of giving aircraft to Ukraine may never get off the ground as teaching pilots takes years

At RAF Coningsby, just down the road from the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, two squadrons of RAF Typhoons lie on the asphalt and under the hangers.

The aircraft here make up a total of 100 Typhoons held by the RAF in its dwindling fleet of fighter jets.

They are among the next targets on Volodymyr Zelensky’s wish list of weapons that he took to Westminster yesterday. But these jets won’t be going anywhere fast.

Training pilots at Coningsby, the UK’S Typhoon training station, is out of the question. It would take too long and is impractical, given Britain’s constipated pilot training system.

What is more, Typhoons are made by four countries: Spain, Italy, UK and Germany. Each one would need to give permission to hand Ukraine the planes and, as we saw over the Leopard tank debate, that is never a given.

The Prime Minister could not hand over Typhoons even if he wanted to; he would have to get treaty permissions from all the others.

So any training is most likely to be given by existing Ukrainian pilots well away from an actual cockpit, in one of the simulators able to replicate modern jet systems.

Any actual flying or donations – to put into practice the skills and drills honed to perfection on the computers – are, however, likely to be with the RAF’S ageing fleet of 20 to 25 Tranche 1 Typhoons.

These aircraft, the first ones brought into service and in danger of being outclassed in the skies, are only used by the RAF for air-to-air defence; they are not configured for a ground-attack role. It is possible to convert them but it would take months; another reason they will not be given to Ukraine.

Justin Bronk, an air-power analyst, points out that the RAF Typhoon force is “badly, badly overstretched already”.

“Too many operational commitments with too few aircraft, and inadequate spares and munitions stocks,” he adds. “The value of any Tranche 1 gift would be almost purely symbolic, rather than a practical and sustainable Ukraine air force asset.”

Analysts argue that Swedish Gripens or the F-16s held by many Nato allies are the most appropriate aircraft to deploy in Ukraine. Britain has none.

The RAF’S fleet of fighter jets has been halved since the Tories took power in 2010 after the Harrier jump jets and Tornadoes were both retired from service.

‘The value of any gift would be symbolic, rather than a practical Ukraine air force asset’

Britain does have some F-35s, the most advanced fighter jets in the world. But for obvious reasons they are also going nowhere fast.

As the debate about donating western aircraft to Ukraine gathers pace and starts to focus on the Usmade F-16, it is right to anticipate any future decisions over equipment.

The idea of starting training now in advance of any decision on giving aircraft to Ukraine was described by a defence source as a “no regrets policy”.

Whatever Rishi Sunak does, it will not be enough to satisfy everyone.

As the Prime Minister fended off questions about the pace of Britain’s fighter jet support yesterday, he pointed out it would take at least three years to train one pilot.

Mr Zelensky responded that he had pilots who have already trained for two and a half years.