Ukrainian authorities sources have confirmed the lack of an F-16 throughout current engagements with Russian forces, and the dying of pilot Lieutenant Colonel Maxim Ustimenko. Little else has been revealed relating to the incident, apart from that it coincided with very massive scale Russian strikes on Ukrainian targets, and that Ukrainian sources declare that Ustimenko had shot down seven Russian targets earlier than crashing. The F-16’s carriage of simply six air-to-air missiles and restricted gun rounds, nevertheless, has introduced the declare of seven shootdowns in a single flight into query, even when the targets had been doubtless low velocity drones such because the Shahed-136. The lack of the fighter occurred little over a month after the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed the destruction of a 3rd F-16, which was misplaced on Might 16 throughout an engagement with Russian targets considered drones or cruise missiles. A second F-16 was confirmed misplaced on April 12 after having been shot down by Russian air defences, earlier than which the primary lack of one of many fighters was confirmed on August 26. Though the F-16 was broadly hailed within the Western world as an plane which may flip the tide of the struggle in Ukraine’s favour, the plane have confirmed to undergo from severe limitations within the theatre.
Highlighting the consensus on the F-16’s standing in comparison with fighters fielded within the Russian Aerospace Forces, Ukrainian Air Power spokesman Yuri Ignat noticed on June 3: “Sadly, right this moment Russia has jets that see farther and missiles that fly farther. That’s even when in comparison with F-16s. In addition they have highly effective air defences, which work in tandem with aviation.” He had beforehand lamented that the F-16 “can’t compete one-on-one in an air battle.” F-16s provided to the Ukrainian Air Power have all been early Chilly Conflict period variants, the avionics of that are thought of long gone obsolescence, which is a main issue putting them at an incredible drawback towards fashionable Russian frontline fighters. The truth that the plane had been flown for many years earlier than supply has additionally considerably raised their upkeep wants and operational prices, the place in contrast the overwhelming majority of Russian fighters are lower than 15 years previous. Eighty flightworthy F-16s have been pledged to Ukraine by NATO members as assist, together with 30 from Belgium 24 from the Netherlands, 19 from Denmark, and 12 from Norway, with extra non-flightworthy airframes having been pledged by Norway and the USA to be cannibalised for spare elements. The fighters have persistently been deployed far behind the frontlines for air defence duties towards drones and cruise missiles, thus minimising the opportunity of encounters with Russian fighters, interceptors or air defence methods.
Regardless of the fighter’s limitations, a main benefit of the plane is that they are often provided to Ukraine at a comparatively low value to the nation’s Western supporters, and may have spare elements, new weapons, and replenishing fighters delivered comparatively simply. In contrast, of the MiG-29, Su-24M and Su-27 fighters that beforehand shaped the spine of the Ukrainian Air Power’s fleet, solely elements and armaments for the MiG-29 had been accessible in some NATO member states, and these solely in restricted numbers. Thus though the F-16’s fight potential is close to unanimously thought of far beneath that of the Su-27 specifically, which is a a lot bigger plane with a radar over thrice the scale and roughly double the engine energy, an incapacity to replenish Su-27 losses in the identical means that may be executed for F-16 losses, and the flexibility to reinforce the F-16 with new missile lessons and subsystems extra simply within the West, represents a main benefit for the plane.
