But the missiles, which were only recently confirmed to be in the hands of Ukraine’s air force, are only one part of a complex strategy to completely expel Kremlin forces from the country, a Ukrainian fighter pilot told The Hill. The pilot, who identifies himself by the call sign “Juice,” said the country’s air force recently used anti-radiation missiles to suppress Russian air defense systems. Their presence in Ukraine was first confirmed on Monday by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl, who said the missiles have been included in several recent lethal aid packages from the United States and make existing Ukrainian capabilities more effective. “It is a great support for us. In fact, it’s one of the most advanced weapons we have right now,” Juice said, but emphasized that the missiles are only “one part of the complex mission.” Although Defense Department officials have not identified the specific anti-radiation missiles or the number sent, CNN reported that the munitions are AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles, which can hit targets at a longer range of 30 miles. “They are very expensive and we have a limited number,” Juss said, adding that they must be selective in their targeting, taking out the Russian military’s “most dangerous” long-range missile systems. US anti-radiation missiles are believed to be involved in the destruction of at least five Russian anti-aircraft artillery systems, four S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile systems and one Pantsir-S1 missile system, the Kyiv Post reported on Monday. Such battlefield successes are key to overcoming intense, but stagnant, fighting along what is considered a 2,000-kilometer (1,243-mile) front line that separates Ukraine from Russian-held territories to the east and south. But the nation needs more help, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has continued to push for the international community to step up its support. The aid is critical for Ukraine’s armed forces to push back Russia by destroying its supply lines and breaking its will to fight before winter, when conditions could change the battlefield and the geopolitical stage, he warns. To that end, the Pentagon has signaled it is preparing to scale up its cooperation with Ukraine’s air force — a critical component of the country’s defense — to include members of the U.S. forces beginning to train Ukrainian pilots in advanced U.S. fighter jets. “There are real questions about what would be most useful in terms of helping the Ukrainian air force and improving its capabilities. It’s not inconceivable that down the road Western aircraft could be part of the mix in that, but the final analysis hasn’t been done,” Kahl said in a briefing with reporters. Even as Ukrainian ground troops effectively use American-supplied high-mobility missile systems (HIMARS) and multiple-launch missile systems — renowned for their ability to disrupt and destroy Russian military supply lines — Jewiss said he hopes that the US will help with aviation needs. “I completely understand that HIMARS and Howitzer, UAV [unmanned aerial vehicles], all of which are extremely important to our armed forces,” he said. “But we still say that aviation, in modern warfare, is very important, very critical. And we have to improve our capabilities.” Alex Gorgan, a Ukrainian infantry officer who started a private initiative that trains Ukrainian pilots on Western aircraft, called the Ukrainian pilots “invaluable.” Gorgan said it is impossible for Ukraine to retake the occupied territories from the Russians without rapidly developing the capability of its air force. Gorgan launched his initiative, called the Advanced Military Aircraft Pilot Training Center, together with Andrey Vavrysh, CEO of SAGA Development, and in coordination with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Gorgan said the idea for this initiative came while he was fighting in the trenches of eastern Ukraine in March, under heavy shelling from Russian forces. “I thought, ‘Oh, my God. We need this particular plane, the A-10 Thunderbolt, which provides close air support to the infantry,” he recalled. “But the United States can’t give the plane because we don’t have the pilots, but we don’t have the pilots because we don’t have the planes, so we have to break that cycle. The weakest point of this cycle is the ability to have previous study,” he said. Gorgan’s initiative focuses on using flight simulators to begin training pilots on the A-10 as well as other advanced aircraft that Ukraine hopes to receive. US lawmakers have recognized pilot training as key to beginning the process of delivering advanced warplanes. A proposal by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), included in the House-passed version of the Defense National Defense Act, aims to provide $100 million to train Ukrainian pilots to fly American planes. The list of needs, demands and hopes is long. Ukrainian officials have long requested American-made F-15 and F-16 fighter jets. The Ukrainians also see attack helicopters as critical to mounting a strong defense – Juice mentioned Boeing’s AH-64 Apache helicopters, although he admitted it’s unlikely, and would settle for the Bell AH-1 SuperCobra or Bell AH -1Z Viper. “Of course I’m not an expert on helicopters, but in general I know their needs and all these helicopters are the platforms for modern targeting, reconnaissance and modern precision missile systems,” he said. “We would be able to deliver the very precision strikes without civilian casualties … precisely, precisely, to target and from long distances to be safe from the enemy’s air defenses,” he added. The Ukrainian air force has long been in contact with the US Air Force, and since the start of the invasion, Jewiss said, the Americans have provided not only advice in those first critical weeks but also friendship. “They’re just trying to help in any way they can, even a friendly conversation. ‘How are you? Are you still alive;” he says with a laugh, but adds more seriously that the pilots consider each other “brothers in arms,” referring to a tragic training accident in 2018 when both a Ukrainian and an American pilot were killed. GOP Under Fire For IRS On The Money Rhetoric – Big Democrats’ Bill Heads Out Of Congress “The U.S. Air Force has become for us the real brothers in arms, with blood on our soil,” he said, adding that the 2018 exercise was critical to their training as it was specifically designed to prepare against a full-scale Russian invasion — four years after Moscow had seized territory in eastern Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula. “We realized that these fallen guys won’t ask [us not] to continue. Their desire was to do this, to make this happen, to continue to complete this mission,” said Juice. “Because the mission of this exercise was to prepare us against war with Russia,” he added.
