Czechia may provide Ukraine with a total of 16 L-39 Skyfox trainer-combat aircraft to be used against attack drones. Preliminary confirmation has already been given for four of the aircraft, while preliminary approval has been granted for another 12. This was stated by Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček during his visit to Kyiv.
“Four of them had already been confirmed, and now we can talk about another 12,” Havlíček said, as quoted by Czech and Ukrainian media. According to him, the delivery is still at the preliminary confirmation stage, meaning that specific timelines and final parameters have not been announced.
The L-39 Skyfox is produced by the Czech company Aero Vodochody and is designed for pilot training and the performance of light combat missions. Ukraine and Czechia have already discussed using similar aircraft to intercept unmanned aerial vehicles, including when the use of expensive air-defense missiles is not economically justified.
Rome May Remove Aster Missiles from the Package
Italy is preparing its 13th military aid package for Ukraine, but the delivery of new Aster missiles for SAMP/T systems remains in question. According to the Italian ANSA news agency, the package may include components to maintain the operational readiness of systems already delivered, as well as generators and equipment to restore energy infrastructure.
“I cannot disclose the contents of the package,” Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said. Asked about the Aster missiles, he said that Italy has stocks it must retain for its own defense.
According to ANSA, the reason is related to the need for Italy not to reduce its own reserves. An additional problem is the industry’s limited ability to produce new missiles within a short timeframe. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that Rome’s position on support for Ukraine would not change, but the specific composition of the package has not yet been made public.
Reports of Russian Aircraft Losses
On November 11, Russian military channels reported the possible loss of a MiG-31 fighter jet and two helicopters – a Ka-52 and a Mi-8 – while repelling a drone attack in the Leningrad region. It was claimed that the aircraft may have been hit by Russian air defenses, but the cause has not been confirmed.
The Ukrainian website ZN.UA specified that the information originated from Russian military bloggers. Ukraine’s Security Service said it was checking reports of destroyed Russian combat helicopters. So far, there has been no official confirmation from the Russian Defense Ministry of the loss of the three aircraft.
Sources: eurointegration.com.ua, ansa.it, zn.ua