Britain decides against sending jet fighters to Ukraine
The British authorities have made a final decision regarding the fate of 30 Typhoon fighters, which will soon be withdrawn from service in the Royal Air Force (RAF). The possibility of transferring them to Ukraine was considered, but ultimately the aircraft will not see combat.
Information about the reduction of RAF resources by 30 Typhoon fighters (in the Tranche 1 variant) emerged early in 2023, quickly sparking a wave of speculation on whether the aircraft would be included in one of the upcoming aid packages for Ukraine.
UK will not transfer Typhoon fighters to Ukraine
British Defense Minister Luke Pollard confirmed that the aircraft will start to be withdrawn from service this year. He added that the British Ministry of Defense has repeatedly assessed the possibility of delivering jets to Ukraine and weighed the potential pros and cons, but no such decision has been made. Instead, the focus will remain on supporting the transfer of European F-16s to Ukraine.
Pollard also stated that Denmark and the Netherlands have announced they will deliver up to 61 F-16 fighters to Ukraine, which is significantly more than the total number of Typhoon Tranche 1 aircraft in RAF service.
Could Typhoon Tranche 1 be useful to Ukraine?
British media note that the information about the disposal (after recovering some useful components) of the Typhoon Tranche 1 comes at a time when discussions are ongoing about the "Sky Shield" project, a European initiative to protect the airspace over Ukraine. Initial analyses suggest that up to 160 Western fighters may be needed for this effort.
Although the Typhoon Tranche 1 is the oldest variant of this fighter, it was introduced into RAF service in 2003, which is relatively recent. They have exhausted only about 40% of their manufacturer-prescribed service life. These aircraft are designed mainly for air combat (with a focus on defense) and have several limitations compared to later variants. However, the designers ensured that upgrades to higher variants could be carried out with relatively little effort.
Lack of orders for new variants
An additional concern is whether delivering the Typhoon Tranche 1 to Ukraine could serve as a means to secure potential export customers for new variants of these fighters.
According to Airbus representatives, the Eurofighter program needs additional customers to remain profitable. Early in March this year, reports surfaced that the factory in Warton might face closure due to a lack of new orders for Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.
