Sky Shield and its 120 combat planes

On that chess board that has become the Ukraine conflict into geopolitical key, it touches it, and how, to move to Europe. After the United States decision of cut military support (including intelligence) to Ukraine against Russian aggression, the old continent He has talked about “Rearme”but in the last hours a plan that It started in 2022 and that has never come to materialize. In essence, Europe seeks to activate a shield in the sky.

Shield the Ukrainian sky. The current situation in Ukraine has led several military experts to present an update of the Sky Shield Planan air defense initiative led by Europe that seeks display 120 combat planes to protect Kyiv and the west of the country. Unlike NATO’s direct intervention, this proposal would work independently and be aimed at stopping Russian missile attacks and drones, without involving the battle front or east of Ukraine.

In this way, the implementation of the protection system would cover critical infrastructure, such as the three operational nuclear plants of Ukraine, as well as the strategic cities of Odessa and Lviv. According to A recent report That has been made public, the strategy could be more effective in military, political and socio -economic terms than the deployment of 10,000 European soldiers on the field.

What is Sky Shield. Originally known as European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI)it is an ambitious antimile defense system plan that seeks to create a protective shield on the continent, one Similar to Iron Dome Israeli. Founded in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it currently has 21 member countries, including the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Poland, Greece and Finland, which have agreed to cooperate in the acquisition, maintenance and use of defense systems.

The idea has always been for the project to be integrated into the pre -existing Missions of NATO, always as a objective to protect the allied territory against aerial threats and missile attacks. In fact, its design contemplates three levels of defense:

• Short range (up to 15 km away and 6 km altitude)
• Half range (15-50 km away and up to 25 km altitude)
• Long range (more than 50 km away and up to 35 km altitude)

Sky Shield’s key components. Originally, the plan combines various defense technologies Air from different manufacturers, both European and American. First, the Arrow 3 system long -range developed jointly by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Boeing (United States). Its characteristics: intercept long -range ballistic missiles before they reach their target, operated totally automatically and designed to intercept threats to great altitude and hundreds of kilometers away.

Then you have the Skyranger System 30 short -range developed by Germany. It is a defense turret, a mobile system that detects and neutralizes air and land threats. The third leg is the Missile Earth-Aire Iris-T-SLM half range. Manufactured by Diehl Defense (Germany), it uses infrared technology to intercept attacks and, in fact, Ukraine has used this system since 2022, which has demonstrated its effectiveness in combat. Finally, The well -known patriot long range. Developed by Raytheon, it is a system widely used in Europe, so much that NATO signed a contract for 5.6 billion euros to acquire 1,000 Patriot missiles shared between Germany, Netherlands, Romania and Spain.

Resurgence of the plan. And so we get to this week. Although the idea of ​​an aerial exclusion zone has been discussed since the Russian invasion, until now concrete progress has been made. However, the recent tense meeting between Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and his American counterpart has caused a turn in the European position. The Interruption of military aid flow and the restriction of Intelligence exchange On the part of the United States they have forced Europe to take a more active role in the defense of Ukraine and in the construction of long -term security guarantees.

The Guardian told that among the main drivers of Sky Shield High profile figures in European defense are found, such as Philip Breedlove, a supreme excomandant of NATO in Europe, Sir Richard Shirreff, former general of the British and former deputy army of NATO, and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former president of Poland. The former Foreign Minister of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, has also joined that this plan represents an essential step for Europe to assume a leadership role in Ukrainian security.

Risk of climbing and challenges. Yes ok The proposal It has been presented to various European defense ministries, so far there has been no clear response to authorize aerial patrols about Ukraine. The main concern in the West lies in the risk of climbing from the conflict to something much larger, since the deployment of European combat aircraft could result in direct confrontations with Russia if any aircraft were demolished.

However, Plan defenders argue that the risk is minimal, since Moscow has avoided operating combat planes beyond the front line Since the beginning of 2022, which would maintain a distance of separation greater than 200 kilometers between European fighters and Russian forces. In that sense, the plan would not only reinforce the air security of Ukraine, but also would decongest your defense systems Antialea, currently overloaded and armament dependent manufactured in the United States such as Patriot interceptors, whose refueling has been suspended after the new restrictions of the White House.

Reinforce the Ukrainian defense. The urgency of a Solution as Sky Shield It becomes evident with the recent Russian attacks. An example: in just one day, Russia launched 181 drones and four missileswhich, although they were mostly intercepted, caused the death of at least one person in Odesa and damaged infrastructure in the region.

Ukraine has responded with long -range attacks through ATACMS missiles Americans and Storm Shadow Anglo-Frenchhitting objectives in Russian territory, including military refineries and facilities. Attacks and defenses that will become impossible over time without the help of the United States.

Guarantee security (world). So things, with American support in question And a conflict that does not give signs of resolving soon, Europe faces the need to assume a more decisive role in the security of Ukraine. Sky Shield represents A viable alternative To protect the Ukrainian population without committing to a direct conflict with Russia that becomes global, but its implementation depends currently on the political will of European leaders.

What seems clear is that the acceleration of events is increasingly giving the idea, a plan that could gain traction in the coming months consolidating European autonomy in the defense of Ukraine and establishing a precedent for future security guarantees in the region.

Image | Mike Hardisty, BORN

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