F‑16 jets en route to Ukraine: Major deterrent to Russian forces
5:56 PM EDT, July 10, 2024
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Dutch and Danish F-16 fighters are already coming to Ukraine. Additionally, six more units from Norway will join them by the end of 2024.
The F-16 planes, promised for over a year, will protect the Ukrainian sky this summer. In two days, another substantial support package is expected to be announced. Additionally, support for Ukraine's pursuit of joining the North Atlantic Alliance was confirmed at the NATO summit.
Ukraine is set to receive 79 planes, but deliveries will be spaced out over time. Thirty planes will come from Belgium, 24 from the Netherlands, 19 from Denmark, and six from Norway.
F-16 planes for Ukraine - older versions feared by the Russians
The aircraft donated to Ukraine are modified variants of the F-16A/B MLU (Mid-Life Update) as a result of deep modernization from the 1990s. The most significant element of this modernization was the integration of F-16 planes with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, which have a range of around 62 miles, depending on their version, and the installation of a radar appropriate for that range.
However, in the case of the versions for Ukraine, other changes were likely made in the past year. Since unique weapons like French AASM Hammer bombs are being integrated with the F-16, the use of targeting pods like the AN/ASQ-213 HTS enabling the full utilization of anti-radiation missiles AGM-88 HARM or precise bombs from the JDAM-ER or Paveway families is just a formality.
This does not change the fact that Ukrainian F-16s will have fewer capabilities than, for example, the new versions of the F-16C/D Block 52+.
Currently, Ukrainian aviation is operating with the remnants of available aircraft, and any support, even with machines from the 1990s, will be a significant help. F-16s could be used to hunt down Russian cruise missiles or drones flying over western Ukraine, similar to methods used by Israel.
The F-16s will also likely be used for more intense bombing of Russian positions on some front sections, a task currently done sporadically by planes like the MiG-29s. Additionally, the presence of F-16s may lead to more restrained use of aviation by the Russians, as they could lose air dominance due to the bolstered capabilities of Ukrainian aviation.
