What Awaits F-16s in Ukraine’s Skies?
A Russian Su-35S fighter jet fires what appears to be an R-37M ultra-long-range air-to-air missile in a promotional video by the Russian Ministry of Defense
Andrey KotsThe United Kingdom has announced it will start to train the first six Ukrainian pilots for F-16 fighter jets. Western media has also claimed that several aircraft have already been handed over to Kiev.US-made F-16 jet fighters could soon make their much-vaunted debut with the Ukrainian Air Force — but how long will they survive?The Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway have all committed to transferring more than 60 early-model F-16 fighters to Ukraine. Deliveries are not planned before spring. Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat clarified in late December that the fighters would arrive after infrastructure and crews were prepared.However, Ignat recently announced that Kiev has no new information on the training of Ukrainian airmen to fly F-16s nor on the jets’ transfer to Ukraine.
Brush Up Your English
According to the American magazine Newsweek, the first batch of F-16s has “quite possibly” already been delivered to Ukraine, although Kiev’s allies have not officially disclosed anything. Daniel Rice, a former special advisor to the chief of general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny, explained.”The West has learned not to announce new weapon systems being delivered,” Rice said, recalling the secret delivery of Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles by the UK and France.Those weapons did not help Ukraine achieve victory on the battlefield, however. Over the past year, it lost Artemovsk (Bakhmut), Soledar, Maryinka, Opytnoye, and several smaller settlements. Kiev relates its failures partly to Russian air power, which, is unrivaled. Ukrainian pilots are now being trained in several centers in NATO countries. The first group of six air officers completed a five-month course, including physical training, English language study, and mastering basic knowledge of the fighter’s structure and operational principles. According to the British Ministry of Defense, they have now gone to Denmark for flight training. Another ten pilots have arrived in the UK to replace them.Training is reportedly going slowly. Back in August, Zelensky said that he had agreement from his Western backers to start the program immediately, but of the first 32 selected pilots, only eight had a decent command of English and the rest had to be sent on a language course.
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For Long-Range Strikes
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have a reason for wanting F-16s – the most mass-produced fourth-generation fighter. Over 4,600 units of various modifications have been built since 1978. They are in service with 25 countries and can use almost the entire range of NATO’s tactical aviation weapons.Ukrainian military leaders place special hope on the JASSM (joint air-to-surface standoff missile) cruise missiles. The AGM-158 JASSM is a precision weapon developed by Lockheed Martin and adopted by the US Air Force in 1986. It is designed to hit important, highly protected stationary targets in any weather conditions by day or night from launch distances beyond the enemy’s air defense range. Its range is 370 kilometers (230 miles), and in the AGM-158B JASSM-ER version, it can reach up to 1000 kilometers. The missile is fitted with a unitary penetrating warhead weighing 450 kilograms (1,000lb).The missile’s casing is entirely made of carbon fiber, reducing radar visibility. It can fly close to the ground, hugging terrain, for most of its journey to the target.This is a significant threat, giving Kiev the capability to strike deep into Russian territory, primarily targeting airfields. However, F-16s also pose air superiority with a wide range of air-to-air missiles, including AIM-120D which can reach up to 160 kilometers. This weapon is comparable to the Russian R-77M.
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Belief in ‘Wunderwaffe’
Deploying the F-16 in Ukraine in a high-stakes game. If the fighter jets and Ukrainian pilots perform well, Kiev will seek additional assistance from the West.But if Russian missiles start shooting down the US-made aircraft, it could be the last straw for Washington and its military-industrial complex. The F-16 is a commercially successful commodity and the Pentagon highly values its reputation.
It is "a very expensive machine," noted military expert Ivan Konovalov.
"Servicing five Falcons [costs] about $20 million per year. How many of these machines can the West give? The arithmetic is obvious. Zelensky creates the impression that there is some 'wunderwaffe' [wonder weapon]. But where else can he go? He wants to survive; his political survival now corresponds to his physical survival, and he understands that well. Therefore, the delivery of F-16 is something they must believe in."
One problem is that the aircraft Ukraine is getting is the original F-16A/B series, built from the late 1970s until the mid-80s. While the later F-16A/Bs had upgraded avionics, compared to the latest E/F model — and Russian jet fighters — their search and tracking radars are antiquated.For instance, the Dutch Air Force’s F-16s are equipped with the outdated APG-66V2 radar, capable of tracking only a few targets at once, while the newer APG-83 radar can handle dozens.
Russia’s Special Operation in UkraineUkraine’s Air Force Has No Clue When Long Sought After F-16s Will Arrive2 January, 13:39 GMTHowever, the outcome of air combat primarily depends on flight skills. Ukrainian pilots will have to prove in practice that a Western-school fighter pilot can be trained in a few months. And their examiners will be crews of more advanced Russian Su-30SM and Su-35S aircraft, which have scored as many aerial victories since the start of the conflict as no Western ace could have dreamed of.
