According to the expert, Ukraine wants to keep the F-16 as a “success story”, but American fighters cannot change the rules of the game.
ATO veteran Taras Chmut, head of the “Return Alive” foundation, says that Ukraine will be able to receive American F-16 fighter jets not in the summer, but in the fall. According to the former army officer, these planes should be a “success story”, but they cannot change the rules of the game.
about this write down Weld.
The publication reminds that the Institute for Combat Research considers recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian air defense positions as an attempt by Ukraine’s armed forces to “clear” the skies before the arrival of the F-16. Their work at the front.
Ukraine has long been waiting for around 80 promised multirole fighter jets from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway for its war against Russia, but the timing of their arrival is constantly changing. An even bigger problem is training a sufficient number of pilots, which takes a very long time.
In addition, Chmut noted that it is currently unknown which version of the F-16 the Air Force of Ukraine will receive.
“It all depends on what type of F-16 will be delivered. For example, how far the radar module is and what the weapons are,” he explained.
According to the senior, the fighter jets will be deployed in Ukraine only in the fall, not in the summer as previously expected. However, if Ukraine wants to keep the F-16 as a “success story”, there is no need to rush. At the same time, Chmut believes that American fighters cannot change the rules of the game.
“It always depends on how the weapons are integrated into the overall system. In a conflict, it’s not individual types of weapons against each other, but military system against military system,” the senior noted.
The authors of the article note that the United States may transfer the Integrated Combat Control System (IPCS) to Ukraine for F-16 use. Swedish ASC 890 radar detection aircraft should also come with the fighters, which will allow F-16 pilots to effectively and safely conduct ground attacks close to the front lines.
“I assume the F-16 will be used first for air defense before attacking ground targets,” Chmut said.
Experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) also expressed the same opinion: the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will use the F-16 to suppress attacks by Russian air defense systems and defeat close air support of Russian aircraft. Confederation on the battlefield.
“By using a combat-proven radar combined with variants of the Aim-120 Amraam missile, Ukraine will increase its air-to-air maximum range to 180 km,” the CSIS analysis says.
Analysts also noted that Ukraine may not have enough fighter jets as promised. According to NATO standards, Ukraine cannot build more than three squadrons from this number of aircraft. However, at least 12 such formations are required to support ground operations of the armed forces from the air.
We will remind you that, according to experts, the effective use of F-16 in Ukraine requires additional pilots and systems for the protection of deployment sites.
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