Western F-16 aid to Ukraine has arrived, now it's up to the Russian Aerospace Forces
2024-08-11
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The F-16 fighter jets that the West aided Ukraine have been confirmed to be in the hands of the Ukrainian army. The first batch of 6 aircraft were delivered to Ukraine by the Netherlands. As we all know, these F-16s of the Dutch Air Force were introduced in the 1980s and have been in service for about 40 years. The Russian army's main air combat aircraft, such as the Su-35S, Su-30SM, and even a small number of Su-57s, are relatively new or very new. These are heavy twin-engine air superiority fighters of the Russian army, and the F-16 is a single-engine light multi-purpose fighter. Conceptually, these F-16s do not seem to be opponents. So, is it obvious that these Ukrainian F-16s will be wiped out without a fight?
This will be a very important showdown between the classic combat aircraft of the United States and Russia. If the Russian Aerospace Forces' fighters can easily shoot down the F-16 with their own advantages, then the Russian Su-35S and other fighters will prove that they are advanced heavy air superiority fighters. Although the opponents are all old F-16s, they are mainstream Western fighters after all. If the Ukrainian F-16 creates the result of shooting down and injuring these heavy fighters of the Russian army, then the reputation of Russian fighters will be ruined. Not only will they be completely out of business in the international military trade market, but the Russian aviation industry will also be hit hard, which may be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.
So do light single-engine fighters have the ability to fight against heavy twin-engine fighters? It should be said that if certain conditions are met, there is a chance, such as the JAS-39 Gripen fighter developed by Sweden, which is a typical light fighter. When Sweden developed it, an important task was to fight against the Soviet/Russian Su-27 fighter. And many years later, there were indeed exercises showing that in beyond visual range combat, with its radar and missile advantages, it was able to defeat the Su-27. In comparison, the F-16 is larger than the Gripen fighter, and strictly speaking, it is a medium-sized fighter.
Although these F-16s of the Netherlands were equipped at an early stage, they have undergone mid-term upgrades and replaced their avionics systems. They are capable of using AIM-120B medium-range air-to-air missiles and mounting electronic countermeasure pods. Of course, the AIM-120 missile has developed to C7 or even D type, and the AIM-120B is still a bit old. In such a technical condition, it does not have any advantages over the Su-30SM and Su-35S, but it cannot be said to be completely at a disadvantage.
Because there is a factor to consider, that is, NATO will provide early warning aircraft support, and Sweden is also ready to assist Ukraine with small early warning aircraft. Although NATO's large early warning aircraft can only conduct reconnaissance and detection outside the Ukrainian border, it still has the ability to detect Russian fighters hundreds of kilometers away, and it can be directly commanded by F-16 through data link. The Russian army currently has a large loss of early warning aircraft and has great deficiencies in its grasp of air situation.
The biggest disadvantage of the Ukrainian F-16 may be that the pilots have not been trained for a long time and are not very proficient in its operation. Of course, if it is a battle beyond visual range, running away after firing medium-range missiles may be much better than close combat. It is also possible that retired Western pilots may be flying the aircraft.
Now everyone is waiting to see the showdown between the US and Russian fighter jets. As mentioned before, the result is very important to Russia. If they can't even defeat the old F-16, it is possible that the West will provide Ukraine with newer fighter jets, which will put the Russian army in big trouble. If they give Ukraine some better fighter jets to humiliate the Russian Aerospace Forces, the West will definitely do it.
Kankan News Reporter: Li Suning
Editor: Li Suning
Video Editor: Zhao Xin
Editor: Fang Liang
