F-16 fighters: why they will not be a panacea for Russian shelling
30 July 2024 17:13
Ukraine is waiting for the F-16 fighter jets promised by its allies, but even this equipment will not completely solve the problem of attacks by the Russian Armed Forces. This was reported by [Kommersant] with reference to the the material of The New York Times.
The article says that Russia is saturating the skies over Ukraine with reconnaissance drones, exploiting gaps in air defence systems to launch increasingly sophisticated attacks on Ukrainian positions. Air dominance in certain parts of the frontline has allowed Russia to bombard Ukrainian positions with hundreds of powerful guided bombs daily.
Ukraine’s strategy has been to use F-16 fighter jets in the air war, but Russia has a strong air defence system that makes it difficult to use these aircraft. Ukraine hopes to use F-16s in conjunction with Patriot air defence systems to protect its cities and critical facilities. However, the limited number of pilots and technicians poses additional challenges. Ukraine is not yet ready to use F-16s, as Russia has time to prepare its defence capabilities. The number of trained pilots is limited, as well as the number of technical and support staff. Currently, Ukraine can only use a limited number of F-16s for combat missions.
The New York Times also reports that Ukraine is facing difficulties in deploying F-16s due to increased Russian bombing, a limited number of pilots and technicians, and a lack of trained Ukrainian airfields.
Brigadier General Serhiy Holubtsov of the Ukrainian Armed Forces also believes that Ukraine may have problems using the F-16. He noted that F-16s alone will not be enough to push back Russian warplanes. They will work in conjunction with ground-based air defences such as Patriot, coordinating efforts with a powerful Western information-sharing network called Link 16.
This process will take time, he said, and there are many factors that could complicate the effort, including a lack of air defence systems.
