In total, Ukraine plans to spend $12 billion on new aircraft for the Air Force over the next 15 years.
This is stated in the Air Force Vision 2035, which was approved by the decision of the Military Council of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from 15 May 2020.
The main task of Air Force aviation for the next 15 years will be to provide fighter aviation as a contribution to air defense (in cooperation with the ground based air defense troops) against enemy air strikes on important (critical) infrastructure facilities and lines of communication as well as troop formations which require defense to maintain their combat potential and to create conditions for execution of the tasks they were assigned.
The existing model of tactical aviation, composed of branches (fighter, bomber, attack, reconnaissance) and armed with a wide range of aircraft such as the MiG-29, Su-27, Su-24M, Su-25, and Su-24MR, should unify and transform into an objective force model of multifunction tactical aviation units.
Rearming with a single type of multi-role generation 4 ++ fighter, manufactured abroad (such as Saab JAS-39E / F Gripen, F-16 Block 70/72 or other), will provide commonality and cost savings. These aviation units with updated tactical aircraft should become the main provider of defensive (in cooperation with ground-based air defense forces), offensive, strike and reconnaissance air capabilities.
The end strength of tactical aviation units should decrease (the estimated need is 72 - 108 multi-role fighters), but the combat potential (at the expense of re-equipping to new multi-role models) will increase significantly.
Іn 2021 - 2022, a tender should be held and a contract for the purchase of a multi-role fighter should be signed, limited deliveries of which (total quantity of 6-12 aircraft during this phase) should begin in 2023 - 2025 in order to begin operational test and evaluation activities to study forms and methods of employment and the organization of personnel training.
Major rearmament activities (including the disposal of outdated aircraft models) should occur during the second implementation stage of the Vision (2025-2030).
The estimated resource requirement for the rearmament of tactical aviation is approximately UAH 200 billion ($7.5 billion).
The transport and special aviation fleet, which is equipped with wide range of aircraft such as the An-30, Il-76MD, An-26 and Mi-8 helicopters, should also undergo consolidation. A single modern, medium-size national transport aircraft should be selected, upon which other types of special aviation equipment will be created. The rearmament of transport and special aviation should start during the second phase and end at the third phase of the Vision’s implementation (2027 - 2035). The estimated resource requirement for the rearmament of transport and special aviation is approximately UAH 40 billion.
Training aviation, equipped with L-39 aircraft, should be upgraded to a modern multi-role combat-training aircraft, which will become the main training platform and, if necessary, can be used for some combat tasks to enhance tactical aviation capabilities. The estimated resource requirement to re-equip training aviation is approximately UAH 35 billion.
The unmanned component should be represented by two types (reconnaissance and reconnaissance-strike) of operational-tactical (operational) level complexes. The resource requirement is approximately UAH 30 billion.
A separate task of aviation development support and follow-up is to provide training to flight and engineering staff at educational institutions (centers) of partner nations (the initial unit could take up to five years).
The total financial resources needed for the implementation of the Air Force's aviation development measures are estimated at UAH 320 billion over the entire 15-year development period (in fiscal year 2020 prices).
The implementation of this Vision requires considerable financial resources beyond the current funding of the Armed Forces and will be impossible without the support of the Government of Ukraine. In particular, its implementation will require the development of state target program for the re-equipment Of tactical aviation (the procurement of multi-role fighter aircraft), as well as military and technical assistance from partner-nations.
