Russian air defense systems, as well as long-range missiles, pose a threat to F-16 aircraft transferred to Ukraine, Business Insider writes on April 27.
Referring to the opinion of expert pilots who flew the F-16, the publication notes that, 50 years after its entry into service, this aircraft will find itself in Ukraine on the most dangerous battlefield.
Thus, former US Navy pilot Brynn Tannehill stated that Russian forces have “Many ways to detect these F-16s”.
The publication lists among the threats that Ukrainian F-16s will face: advanced Russian air defense systems, such as the S-300 and the latest S-400, a “huge fleet” of Su-35 and MiG-31 armed with missiles long-range. R-37 range air-to-air missiles -air” and powerful radars, as well as early warning aircraft capable of detecting F-16s from hundreds of kilometers away.
The expert noted that the F-16’s former opponents in the Middle East, such as Iraq and Syria, “they usually used obsolete Soviet equipment and were probably not that well trained”as Russian forces are now.
Another expert, retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel John Baum, said that for the Ukrainian F-16s, actions against Russia will be “without a doubt the most difficult scenario that can happen to the F-16”.
Baum noted that the F-16s could help recognize Russian radar positions and transmit that information to guide AGM-88 HARM air-to-ground missiles, as well as assist in Ukrainian air defense operations.
Recall that in August 2023, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that a total of 19 F-16 aircraft would be delivered to Ukraine, six in 2023, eight in 2024 and five in 2025.
Also read: The Pentagon promised kyiv to begin F-16 deliveries in 2024
Source: Rossa Primavera
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