Why the US and Europe haven't given any Ukraine warplanes yet, but seem to be getting closer

Planes like the British air force's Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft and the F-16 are designed for operations from relatively smooth runways and not optimized for short-field landings on rough surfaces such as those prevalent in Ukraine, said Justin Bronk at the British Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a defense and security think tank. To operate either aircraft sustainably, "the Ukrainian air force would have to resurface and possibly extend its runways at key bases," he said. "But this would then be easily observed by Russian satellites and the bases would be struck by cruise and ballistic missiles."