Ukrainian Air Force Laments F-16s Can’t Compete with Russian Su-35s
Eastern Europe and Central Asia , Aircraft and Anti-Aircraft
Seven months after the deliveries of the first F-16 fourth generation fighters to Ukraine, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuri Ignat provided insight into the fighters’ capabilities, stating that they were incapable of engaging the Su-35 ‘4+ generation’ fighters in the Russian Air Force. “The modifications that Ukraine has cannot compete one-on-one in an air battle. We need a comprehensive approach as the [Russian] Su-35 is a relatively new jet… This includes ground-based air defence, electronic warfare systems, and ideally, an airborne radar. Also crucial are onboard radars for our aircraft and air-to-air missiles,” he observed. The capabilities of F-16s supplied to Ukraine have repeatedly been brought to question, with the aircraft being supplied second hand by Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway which received very early models in the 1980s. These fighters not only rely on obsolete mechanically scanned array radars, but also lack the Link 16 data link system which leaves their ability to operate as part of a network with other assets highly limited.
Although major delays to Russian efforts to field a modern fifth generation fighter fleet have had a highly detrimental effect on the capabilities of its top fighter units, in particularly when compared to those fielded by China and the United States, against the ageing F-16s Ukraine has been supplied with the advantages enjoyed by Russia’s frontline fighters are overwhelming. Taking primary sensors as an example, the Su-35’s Irbis-E electronically scanned array radar is not only technologically over two decades ahead in its sophistication, but is also close to five times as large as Cold War era F-16 radars, while older mechanically scanned array radars are highly vulnerable to jamming on 21st century battlefields.
Ukrainian misgivings regarding the F-16’s limitations contrast sharply with the high hopes previously expressed that the aircraft would be a game changer. “When [we] have F-16, we will win this war,” Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat previously stated in May 2023, highlighting that Western supplied air defence systems, including American Patriot missile systems recently destroyed in Russian air strikes, were insufficient to protect a Ukrainian airspace. “The territory of the country and the length of the state border are big and the frontline … is over 2,500 kilometres [long],” he stated, adding that F-16s could become “a part of the air defences” and be used in areas not covered by the ground based anti air assets.
kt comments:
Ukraine won't be satisfied until they have F-22 and B-52 plus nuclear bombs
Even if given F35 they won't be able to fly!
ReplyDeleteMost of the servicible spare parts have been given to the Zionist state to maintain the combat readiness of its F35!
So outside the Zionist state all GET fighter planes r just sitting ducks.