Ukraine has finally agreed to the Crimea-based Black Sea Fleet being equipped with Su-24m front line strike fighters. The Russian Military News Agency has reported that as soon as this week the first planes of this type would fly from Anapa to Hvardiyske Airfield near Simferopol. However, the command of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, as reported by Interfax, is inclined to think that in reality Ukraine is waiting to give clearance for this replacement, perhaps not to thwart the realization of its long- cherished dream.
The Su-24m is to replace twenty two Su-17 planes, part of the BSF 43rd naval attack air squadron. The BSF Su-24m mainly differs from the Su-17 in being capable of carrying nuclear weapons. It is for this reason that Kyiv refused to accept this kind of aircraft rotation for several years. From the very beginning, Kyiv insisted that special ammunition (i.e., nuclear weapons) stations be dismantled from these Crimea based aircraft. But after it became known that the dismantled special-ammunition equipment can, if necessary, be reinstalled for the Su-24m in a matter of a few hours, Ukraine set a new condition: the fleet will only receive the new planes after the two countries conclude a special agreement. This agreement must empower the Ukrainian side to quickly inspect if need be the Russian aircraft weaponry.
On October 11, when Ukraine hosted a powerful exercise code named Duel-99, the Russian and Ukrainian Ministers of Defense Igor Sergeyev and Oleksandr Kuzmuk again discussed the destiny of the Su-24m. Gen. Kuzmuk says this question is off the agenda, and, as a precautionary measure, Ukrainian inspectors will examine the condition and the equipment of these aircraft twice a year. But on December 8, during parliamentary hearings at the Russian Council of the Federation, Chief of the Russian Navy Staff Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, previously the fleet commander, announced that the Ukrainian side “is holding back the fulfillment of the agreements already reached.” The Russian admiral cited the example of a hopeless, in his opinion, situation with the replacement of the Su-17 naval aircraft with the Su-24m.
The hopelessness lay in he fact that, from Kyiv’s viewpoint, there should be effective constraints on the deployment of these aircraft in crisis situations. In other words, Ukraine should know whether or not these Crimea-based planes, capable of carrying an eight-ton bomb load, will visit various hot spots. This is why a little later, when Vladimir Putin visited the Black Sea command post in the last week of 1999, admirals complained to him that the Ukrainians are again dragging their feet over the permission to replace Black Sea Fleet aircraft. In reply, Mr. Putin displayed resolution which the military allegedly like so much and got in touch with Leonid Kuchma directly from the command post, and it was again decided that the substitution of the Su-24ms for the Su-17s would begin for sure starting January 18. And this process can be speeded up, although there is no confirmation to this from the Ukrainian side.
Should the Su-17s be replaced with the Su-24ms without concluding a relevant agreement, this will create a precedent for Russia further insisting on the improvement of other qualitative parameters of the fleet. This could be, in particular, the question of re-basing several submarines from the Baltic or Northern Fleet to the Black Sea.
