New aviation era: Why Ukraine needs F-16s to counter Russian attacks

Contents:

• How many F-16s does Ukraine need to secure its skies
• How fighter jets will help on the frontline and in repelling missile attacks
• What options are better than the F-16

How many F-16s does Ukraine need to secure its skies

On the eve of the Air Force Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented F-16 fighter jets in Ukrainian skies. He emphasized that Western aircraft are already performing missions in Ukraine but did not specify which ones. According to Oleksandr Musiienko, there are at least three important strategic tasks involved. The first is strengthening air defense, the second is countering guided bomb carriers, and the third is striking enemy ground targets.

According to the expert, to accomplish these three tasks simultaneously, Ukraine needs to receive 120-130 aircraft. This is approximately the number previously mentioned by Zelenskyy, who spoke of 128 jets.

"This is what we need now, in addition to what we already have, so that we can talk about securing the skies over Ukraine in addition to the air defense systems being supplied to us: Patriot, NASAMS, and IRIS-T. In these conditions, we could control Ukraine's airspace, including the occupied territories," Musiienko believes.

How fighter jets will help on the frontline and in repelling missile attacks

Regarding how the Ukrainian Defense Forces can use Western fighter jets on the frontline, it could involve striking the positions of the Russian army with guided bombs.

"The second is the ability to strike with missiles with a range of up to 500 km, including the possibility of hitting the enemy with Storm Shadow missiles. And, in fact, these capabilities allow us to counter enemy aircraft and guided bomb carriers, provided they are equipped with the necessary missiles," Musiienko says.

According to the expert, Ukraine may already feel the contribution of the F-16 in repelling Russian air attacks, particularly during missile strikes, since "any aircraft, both theoretically and practically, can shoot down missiles."

"When the enemy uses a significant number of its missiles, we can already say that, for example, in the skies over western Ukraine, we can deploy more F-16s to repel attacks while redeploying ground complexes to the center and east of our country to strengthen air defense there," Musiienko suggests.

Thus, according to him, Ukraine will have even more means of protection against cruise missiles. He explains that the F-16 does not shoot down ballistic missiles. That is why the President instructed Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi to reform Ukraine's air defense system by the end of the year.

What options are better than the F-16

At the same time, the expert emphasizes that he sees no alternative to F-16. He noted that the F-16 is a versatile aircraft capable of carrying a wide variety of weapons for both air-to-air and air-to-ground strikes.

"For comparison, the F-16 can carry 2.5 times more missiles and bombs under its wings than the MiG-29s, which are in service with the Air Force. That is why this aircraft is so versatile and reliable. In addition, the F-16 is maneuverable and fast," Musiienko said.

Moreover, there are many spare parts for these aircraft, as many F-16s have been manufactured. Therefore, they can be repaired quickly, and many types of weapons fit them. All of this plays in favor of these fighters. But, as the interlocutor says, there are better options.

"That would be the F-35. Newer fifth-generation aircraft. But it must be understood that this is the next stage. Now, with the F-16, a new era of our aviation begins. Because, thanks to these planes, we are finally and irreversibly transitioning to NATO standards and moving along the same path the Alliance countries took toward rearmament. And the next step, if you look at these countries that are not using the F-16 now or are phasing them out, is that they are all buying the F-35. So I think that is also our future," the expert concluded.

On July 31, 2024, the news agency Bloomberg reported that Ukraine received the first batch of F-16s from its allies. Later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the fighter jets were already on Ukrainian territory.

In turn, The Economist writes that this concerns 10 out of 79 aircraft promised to Kyiv as part of the aviation coalition. It is expected that by the end of 2024, the Ukrainian Air Force will receive another 10 jets. The remaining F-16s will arrive in Ukraine in batches throughout 2025.

Additionally, RBC-Ukraine previously reported how the F-16s could help in repelling Shahed drone attacks.

We also revealed the weapons on the fighter jets that Ukraine received from its partners.