/ world today news/ In the coming months, the USA and its allies must decide on the moment of the transfer of the F-16 to Kiev. The parties are now discussing how many machines to deliver. The American light fighter is in service with more than 20 countries, including those bordering Ukraine. In response, Russia will have to allocate more interceptor aircraft, change aviation tactics and air defense systems. But more problems will arise for Ukraine itself, which has nowhere to place and maintain these fighters.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the US and its allies, in the course of training Ukrainian F-16 Falcon fighter pilots, will decide in the coming months who and in what quantity will deliver these planes to Kiev. According to him, Western countries have already moved to discussing the topic of strengthening the Ukrainian Air Force under the auspices of “Ukraine’s long-term commitment to self-defense.”
“We intend to do everything to support Ukraine as it seeks to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. By doing this, we intend to do it to avoid the outbreak of World War III,” Sullivan said.
The announcement came after President Joe Biden told G7 leaders on Friday that the US would support efforts to train Ukrainian F-16 pilots. In February, Biden said that Ukraine does not need F-16s.
Lockheed Martin, the US military equipment maker, says more than 3,000 F-16s are in service in 25 countries. France and Poland have officially expressed their readiness to provide Ukraine with modern fighter jets. But any transfer of American-made aircraft requires US government approval. Senior Pentagon official Colin Kahl previously told Congress it could take “about 18 months” for Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16. However, the program can be shortened to six to nine months, depending on the general level of training and knowledge of the military.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that Kyiv needs F-16s. These light fighters can fly at twice the speed of sound and are capable of engaging targets in the air and on the ground. According to the American press, Ukraine expects to receive 40-50 F-16s to form three to four squadrons. Zelensky intended to discuss the issue on Saturday at the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, as well as at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.
Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko immediately reacted to the West’s plans to transfer warplanes to Ukraine, saying that Moscow “has all the necessary means to achieve its goals”. According to him, the West is still sticking to the scenario of escalation, which is risky for itself.
In turn, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, told the Zvezda channel that the US was engaged in pseudo-humanism and was deceiving, saying that it would deliver F-16s only on the condition that Ukraine does not use them for strikes on the territory of Russia. She noted that Sullivan’s words about such conditions for the delivery of F-16s do not comply with either international law or domestic law. “The US is once again doing what it loves – impersonating or juggling data to achieve its own goals and objectives,” Zakharova said.
Experts note that the F-16 has long established itself as a universal platform capable of carrying a wide variety of weapons and equipment, but in the conditions of Ukrainian realities it will be impossible to fully reveal its potential.
If Kiev decides to use this fighter to strike with the British-French Storm Shadow cruise missiles that are now fitted to the aging Su-24s, then the VSU can perform such a task. According to Sergey Denisentsev, an expert from the Center for Analysis, Strategies and Technologies, a lot will depend on exactly which modification of the F-16 can appear in Ukraine. “Any radar station can be installed on this aircraft, including the most advanced with an active phased antenna array,” explained the expert.
During the Cold War, the F-16 was conceived as a first-line fighter for the NATO countries, but over the course of several decades, the machine was adapted to the new conditions. The aircraft can solve not only strike tasks, but also air defense, target interception and airspace control. “If Ukraine is supplied with a modification of the F-16 with the latest generation radar, then it can be said that the main task of the aircraft will be the control of the airspace, for example, over Crimea. If there is no radar, then the plane can be set to carry Storm Shadow cruise missiles or American anti-radar missiles,” Denisentsev does not exclude.
“Now there are negotiations on how many fighter jets to deliver to Ukraine. The Americans do not want supplies to come directly from the US and insist that they come from other countries. Poland is now ready to deliver the F-16s, but requires a replacement for the F-35s. All these vicissitudes should be resolved in the very near future, ”says Sergey Hatilov, former head of the anti-aircraft missile forces of the Moscow Air Defense Special Forces Command.
He is sure that the F-16 can act primarily in two roles – as an interceptor or as a bomber. “But in any case, Russia will have to react, there will be costs, including for pilot training. It will be necessary to allocate more aviation for possible interception, to change the tactical actions of aviation and air defense systems, “warns the expert.
According to him, the F-16 does not have the capabilities of the Russian Su-34, which can be a bomber, attack aircraft and air defense fighter. “For example, during take-off the F-16 must be covered, it must be controlled and engaged. For VSU today, this is an overwhelming task. “Yes, the planes can fly beautifully towards the Russian troops or our border, but at a turn they will be destroyed by the fire of anti-aircraft missile systems or by our long-range missiles,” the expert is convinced.
Hatilov admitted that the position of the Western countries regarding the fighter jets surprised him. “Today it is almost impossible to land F-16s at Ukrainian airfields. For this purpose, it is necessary to completely renew the runways according to NATO standards. This applies to communication, control, refueling systems and so on. An aircraft outside the control zone is a simple piece of iron, on which at least Ivan Kozhedub or Alexander Pokryshkin must be placed in order to conduct an independent aerial battle. Even if Ukraine has 60 or 100 F-16s, they will not solve this problem,” the expert is convinced.
He does not rule out that the fighters transferred to Kiev will be located on the territory of Poland and Romania, where there is all the necessary infrastructure, but in this case the combat radius of their use will decrease, which is about a third of the maximum flight range.
“The mere appearance of the F-16 in Ukraine will not lead to a significant change towards any major victories. In order to use aviation, you need to gain air superiority,” concludes Hatilov.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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