How Exactly THAADs and F-18s Can Help Ukraine Defeat Russia

Ukraine is pushing for more U.S. military support as it begins what is expected to be a difficult winter, and as calls grow on the right-wing of the Republican Party to scale back American aid after a summer and fall of disappointing battlefield developments.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that Kyiv's latest request for U.S. weapons includes several sophisticated systems not yet provided, including F-18 Hornet fighter jets, Apache helicopters and high-altitude air defense capabilities.

The agency cited a list presented by officials from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry "to meet the needs of defense forces of Ukraine" during a closed-door meeting with government officials and defense industry executives.

Newsweek cannot independently verify the contents of the list. A Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesperson told Newsweek they could not comment on the Reuters report.

"While we are in constant communication with Ukraine about their security assistance needs, we are not going to discuss specific Ukrainian requests for systems," a Pentagon spokesperson told Newsweek. "Our support focuses on equipment that is relevant for the current fight.

"We remain committed to fulfilling Ukraine's priority security assistance requests, delivering weapons from U.S. stocks when they are available, and facilitating the delivery of weapons by Allies and partners when their systems better suit Ukraine's needs."

Reuters reported that the list included additional stocks of weapons already supplied to Ukraine, including Abrams main battle tanks and 155 mm artillery shells. The Ukrainian officials also again requested platforms like F-16 fighter jets and the ATACMS tactical ballistic missile system that have long been top of Kyiv's list of priorities.

Entirely new requests were also included. Among them were C-17 Globemaster and C-130 Super Hercules transport aircraft, Apache attack helicopters and Black Hawk helicopters.

With Ukrainian officials pressing for more help to close the winter skies against a renewed Russian ballistic missile and drone offensive, Kyiv is also seeking F-18s, three types of drone, including the MQ-9B Sky Guardian and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, Reuters reported.

Ukrainian leaders have been pushing for better air protection since the very opening days of Russia's full-scale invasion. Moscow's ballistic missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and vital infrastructure nationwide have failed to force Kyiv into submission but have exacerbated Ukraine's deep economic woes and terrorized its population.

NATO nations have gradually been expanding Ukraine's air defenses, adding to its pre-war arsenal of Soviet-era weapons. Kyiv now fields a significant number of American Patriot PAC-3 and French-Italian Eurosam SAMP/T systems for long-range defense; American MIM-23 HAWK, U.S.-Norwegian NASAMS, and German IRIS-T SLM for medium-range threats; plus German Gepard and U.S. Avenger systems at short-range.

The provision of THAAD would expand the reach of Ukraine's anti-air defenses, its effective range of around 125 miles and ceiling of 93 miles exceeding the 43-mile range and 15-mile ceiling of the Patriot PAC-3 missiles in Kyiv's arsenal. The mobile THAAD system, according to CSIS' Missile Defense Project, "has demonstrated capability against short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles."

The THAAD's first operational interception was in January 2022, when a medium-range ballistic missile fired towards the United Arab Emirates by Houthi forces in Yemen was destroyed.

Ukraine has been mulling the F-18 for some time, discussing the possible provision of the aircraft by both Finland and Australia. Kyiv has chosen to prioritize the delivery of F-16 fighters as it seeks to both bolster its air defenses, plus gain an edge on Russia's numerically superior but operationally limited air force.

At the front, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly complained about a lack of air cover, which is central to the NATO doctrine Kyiv has spent years trying to implement. The lack of air power is one reason cited by Ukrainian commanders and officials to explain their recent failed counteroffensive in the south of the country.

Both F-16s and F-18s would improve the situation for Kyiv and modernize an air force still reliant on Soviet-era aircraft. Both can be used in fighter and ground attack roles, at land and at sea.

The F-18 was designed for maritime use on U.S. aircraft carriers and is for highly maneuverable at low speeds. It has a lower maximum speed than the F-16, but is considered more robust, particularly when dealing with the salty air of naval operations.

The F-18 can also operate from shorter, less sophisticated runways. This may make it well-suited for Ukraine's relatively old air force bases and for Kyiv's approach of dispersing its fighters to minimize the danger of Russian strikes.

Kyiv's high-level delegation to the U.S. this week stressed Ukraine's need for better air power.

"We need a lot of things," Andriy Yermak—the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office—told a United States Institute of Peace event on Tuesday.

"We still need air defense, it's critically important. But you can see, if we receive it, you can see the results," he said. "If we have air defense, our people [can come] back to Ukraine. If people [come] back to Ukraine, it helps our economy increase. If we have air defense, the grain corridors [will be] working. If we will have greater air defense, we will increase our exports, which means that we can start being economically stronger."

"We're the best promoter for the many American weapons," Yermak added. "Before Ukrainians started to use Patriots, no one could be sure that Patriots…destroy any kind of missiles."

The performance of American defensive weapons, Yermak added, has uncovered the "lies" of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long touted Moscow's most advanced weapons as undefeatable.

Update, 12/7/23, 10:04 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include a response from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

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