Ukraine just made its biggest aviation move since independence: Kyiv signed a letter of intent to buy up to 100 Rafale F4 fighters from France. Not leased. Not borrowed. Bought. And when you add in the incoming Gripens and the F-16 fleet already on the ramp, Ukraine is building a Western air force that Russia cannot easily counter, outrun, or shove out of the sky.
In today’s video, I break down what this Rafale deal actually means, how it changes Ukraine’s long-term airpower, and why this jet is closer to the Gripen than it is to the F-16. This is the first time Ukraine is designing its own multi-tier fighter ecosystem instead of inheriting Soviet leftovers.
The Rafale F4 is the heavyweight of the trio. It’s a twin-engine missile truck with deep-strike capability, long-range detection, and sensor fusion that would make Russian avionics engineers curl up like overcooked borscht. Pair it with Meteor—which Ukraine will eventually get—and you have a weapon that forces Russian fighters so far back that glide-bomb attacks become impossible.
I walk through how this future fleet fits together:
• F-16s for frontline volume and quick fielding
• Gripen E for dispersed operations, electronic warfare, and Meteor
• Rafale F4 for air dominance, long-range strike, and heavy integration with Western weapons
This is not overlap. This is layered capability. An Avengers-style fighter lineup where each jet brings a unique superpower.
I also dig into the production challenges, the political financing, the cost realities, and the long-term strategy behind this deal. Dassault has a nine-year backlog, so this isn’t about tomorrow’s war—it’s about the 2030s, about ensuring Russia never again gets within artillery distance of Kharkiv, Sumy, or Odesa.
Most importantly, this is a declaration: Ukraine is done surviving. It is building permanence. It is designing a Western, modern, lethal air force built to outlive this war and prevent the next one.
You’re going to want to watch this one all the way through, because I break down how these jets complement each other, how they shift the air defense calculus, and why Putin is absolutely not sleeping well tonight.
If you enjoy deep-dive military analysis, hit that subscribe button. It’s the best free way to support me on Substack.
