Ukraine plugs its Western-made weapons into ‘NATO Wi-Fi'
Kiev has been allowed to join a NATO-standard coordination network which connects together Western-made military hardware, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Katerina Chernohorenko has announced. The system, in particular, is compatible with F-16s and Mirage 2000 fighter jets.
On Saturday, Chernohorenko revealed that Ukraine had signed a license agreement to begin using the Command and Control Center System Interface (CSI), a non-commercial digital platform employed by most NATO member states for air and missile coordination and improved interoperability.
The official pointed out that the system operates through NATO's Link-16 data protocol – which she referred to as 'military Wi-Fi.' She added that the protocol facilitates coordination between fighter jets such as US-made F-16s and French-made Mirage 2000s, as well as air defense systems like the Patriot, all of which have been supplied to Ukraine as military aid.
Ukraine received its first F-16s from its European backers last summer, although the process had been slower than expected due to logistics and pilot training issues. While some officials in Kiev initially hoped it would become a 'game changer' on the battlefield, the military later acknowledged it could not rival the most advanced Russian jets.
In total, Kiev was promised more than 80 F-16s, many of which are expected to arrive in the years to come. Since the start of deliveries, at least three Ukrainian-operated F-16s have been confirmed destroyed.
As for the French-made Mirage 2000s, which are capable of carrying long-range Scalp/Storm Shadow missiles, Ukraine only received the first batch this winter, with the number of planes to be delivered estimated at six. Kiev has confirmed their deployment in combat, but reported no losses.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukrainian-operated F-16s will 'burn' just like other Western-supplied equipment. Moscow has also consistently denounced Western military aid to Kiev, arguing it will only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome.
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