F-16s Headed to Ukraine – But Will They Be a Real Threat to the Russian Air Force? | world News

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Military analyst Sean Bell takes a closer look at the F-16 Fighting Falcon jets being sent to Ukraine and what Zelensky’s forces can expect in the coming months.

Posted by Sean Bell, Military Analyst

Sat 27 May 2023 03:55, United Kingdom

F-16s on their way to Ukraine.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s approval of the move at the G7 conference would certainly provide Ukraine with some much-needed air firepower — but combat air power relies heavily on modern technology and some of the F-16s are outdated jets.

When the F-16 Fighting Falcon first flew in the late 1970s, it was an extremely light, agile, and capable platform, and it became the world’s most exported combat aircraft.

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Despite the F-16’s agile airframe and impressive thrust-to-weight ratio, the combat capability of modern fighters relies heavily on its avionics technology.

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Radar is a major component of a fighter’s capability; As technology has enabled radars to see more, and with greater clarity, deception techniques have matured.

A common fighter manta is “who sees wins” – the earlier you see an enemy fighter the earlier you can get a missile in the air. In World War II, thin strips of aluminum were dispensed with to confuse enemy radars, but modern stealth technology and a variety of innovative electronic procedures are now being exploited to improve survivability.

What level of F-16 capability will Ukraine offer?

It is unlikely that Ukraine will receive completely new F-16s – they are too expensive, and the West would be very reluctant to risk cutting-edge capabilities in this conflict.

Sean Bell says the F-16s are a “major concern” for Putin

But older fighters have less capable radars, are not as stealthy, and have older avionics. The Volkswagen Golf MK1 was in production when the first F-16 was delivered—the latest version (the MK8) is still called the Golf, but the modern variant is full of modern technology and is a much more capable car.

Although older F-16s are still capable (such as the Golf MK1), many nations are now looking to upgrade their F-16 fleets with the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, making many more F-16s. “High Mileage” is available. .

However, like cars, as aircraft get older, they become less reliable and become more dependent on spare parts.

Read more: What is the F16 fighter jet and why does Ukraine want it?

Photo: Ukraine is unlikely to receive completely new F-16s

In addition to radar, modern fighters also need the latest technology in electronic warfare, defense aids, infrared sensors, Link-16 data links, and a computer system to program and deliver the latest generation of high-tech air-to-air missiles. and air-to-ground weapons.

In addition, trained pilots, ground crew, weapons and spare parts, ground planning and intelligence facilities, and a host of supporting infrastructure are also needed.

Will these weapons be provided to Ukraine?

Modern air-to-air missiles paired with a modern F-16 radar would pose a real threat to modern Russian fighters, but anything less risks emboldening the Russian Air Force. The grave danger is that Ukraine “gets what it asked for” — F-16 capability — only to find that the reality falls short of expectations.

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Despite the tactical challenges, the G7 announcement was very important to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has judged almost certainly that the West’s willingness to continue supporting the war may wane at the end of the year, so despite the dismissive rhetoric, the decision to help Ukraine develop its long-range combat air capabilities would be a major setback and deeply troubling for Mr. Putin.

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