“Today I can name six European countries that have been invested in the F-35 program. You can place in the air, or you can place it very soon, 400 F-35. The maximum that Russians can expose is 100 [аналогичных самолетов]”, – said Kellog.
He emphasized that European countries are able to lift their fighters into the sky without a single American F-35. He also noted the effectiveness of the F-16, which the Netherlands passed on to Ukraine and which now help to shoot down drones flying towards the airspace of European countries.
“And I just told the Alliance:“ You are better than you think. ”I'm absolutely sure of that,” the special representative emphasized.
KELLLOL also noted the importance of a balanced approach in negotiations, emphasizing that the main goal is to “stop the largest ground war in Europe since the Second World War.”
Context
According to the site of the manufacturer of F-35 fighters, there are more than 1230 such aircraft in the world. They are in service with 20 countries and plan to join them even more. The expected annual production volume is 156 fighters.
The F-35 can develop speeds of up to 1.6 max, or almost 1930 km per hour. He is able to collect, process and safely exchange information with allies in real time. The Ukrainian portal “Military” mentions a project, known first as Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), and subsequently F-35 Lightning II, as one of the most successful aviation programs of the twentieth century, and notes that this aircraft became unique thanks to the cooperation of many countries.
Great Britain, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway joined the F-35 program in Europe. Also bought or ordered these aircraft Poland, Germany, Finland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Belgium and Switzerland. Consider the possibility of acquiring Greece, Portugal and Romania.
In total, by the 2030s, more than 600 F-35 fighters will be located on the European continent, which will significantly strengthen NATO defense capacity in the region, writes the journal European Security & Defens.
