Tag Archives: F16

Ukraine’s F-16 squadrons could take “four or five years” to get ready for battle

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However, these planes will be useless for Ukraine in this war, considering that, after learning English before flying, a pilot can only learn to take off, land, and some basic functions in half a year of training.

Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher

Three European countries – the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway – have confirmed that they will deliver American F-16 fighter jets to Kiev. However, instead of military supremacy over the Russian air force, it will bring problems to Ukraine, which it must urgently solve – and one of the issues is language, as mundane as that might sound. In addition, Ukraine has an unrealistic timeframe for when it wants to complete pilot training.

Ukraine lacks the infrastructure to accommodate fourth-generation F-16 fighter jets, such as well-equipped airports. Entire airports would have to be built, not just runways, and must include command towers, radar fields, aircraft maintenance and servicing centres, warehouses for air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, etc.

In addition, pilot training is necessary, and not knowing English is the first obstacle for most Ukrainian pilots. Politico cited a US official and a source familiar with Ukrainian planning, who was not authorised to speak on the plan, who said only eight Ukrainian pilots are fluent in English, thus making them ready to begin training. According to the US official, 20 pilots who speak some English are available to start language courses in the UK in the coming days.

Effectively, Ukrainian pilots cannot master the basics of flying on American planes without knowledge of English.

In addition, learning to fly with modern technology takes several years of training, not the six months often quoted by Western and Ukrainian officials and media.

Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder disclosed that the US will begin training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets in October at Morris Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, preceded by an English language course for pilots in September.

The general said that “several pilots and dozens of maintainers” would be trained without specifying the exact number, adding that transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine would take “months, not weeks.”

Ryder added that the F-16 fighter jets should strengthen the military potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and not meet the needs of the Ukrainian military in the current counteroffensive. He admitted that Ukraine does not have the necessary infrastructure to station F-16 fighter jets.

It was planned that European countries would train the Ukrainians, and the US would join if their capabilities were exhausted. Western media reported that a coalition of 11 countries will begin training Ukrainian pilots to operate the F-16 in August. These countries include Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and Great Britain.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expects 42 planes from the Netherlands and 19 from Denmark. At the same time, the Netherlands did not specify the number of aircraft or when they will be made available to Ukraine.

However, these planes will be useless for Ukraine in this war, considering that a pilot can only learn to take off, land, and some basic functions in half a year of training. Nonetheless, the training of Ukrainian pilots has already occurred, specifically in Romania.

A question raised is what kind of weapons the West will deliver to Kiev for American fighter jets. Some Western media indicate that the F-16 fighter jets, which will be handed over to Kiev next year, will only have access to short-range missiles as it is doubtful that the US will agree to supply Ukraine with JASSM missiles, which have a range of a thousand kilometres.

Another question is how long F-16s will last on Ukrainian territory, as there is no doubt that Russia will destroy them as soon as they arrive in that country.

All the supposed goodwill surrounding Ukraine’s pursuit of F-16s was blackmarked on August 25 with the death of three Ukrainian Air Force pilots, including a renowned fighter jet pilot with the call sign “Juice.” The crash marks a major upset for Kiev, which has been looking to secure advanced F-16 jets to strengthen its Soviet-era air force, but this will prove to be a significant morale hit for Ukraine.

The morale was also dealt a blow when General James Hecker, the commander of US Air Forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters that getting F-16 squadrons ready for battle could take “four or five years.”

“Hecker was talking about top expertise, but even for basic capability — such as solo air-to-ground attacks — six months will likely still be needed. And there’s no way around it either,” wrote Politico.

But as the West should have learnt by now, they are not dealing with AK-47-wielding peasants in Afghanistan, but the advanced and highly professional Russian military, where top pilots are vital. Six-month-trained Ukrainian pilots will end up in the same way as the Western-trained and armed Ukrainian army units involved in the counteroffensive – obliterated.

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Russian Aerospace Forces failing in Ukraine? UK military thinks otherwise

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The range of the missiles used by Russian fighter jets is considered a dangerous challenge for their NATO rivals. This is particularly true when it comes to the unrivaled R-37M hypersonic air-to-air missile with its staggering maximum engagement range of 400km.

Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst

Even before the start of Moscow’s counteroffensive against NATO aggression in Europe, Russia and its military were often denigrated and underestimated by the mainstream propaganda machine. This decades-old (or should we say centuries) practice has escalated dramatically since February 24 last year. The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) are particularly targeted, being presented as a supposed “failure” despite obliterating most of the Kiev regime’s air force in mere weeks. This is also illustrated by the Neo-Nazi junta’s desperate pleas and so-called “begmanding” to get fighter jets from NATO, including the US-made F-16, despite even the Ukrainian pilots themselves knowing they are vastly inferior to their own Soviet-era Su-27s.

Russian VKS dominates the skies over Ukraine with its state-of-the-art Su-35S and superfast, high-flying MiG-31. However, what caught the attention of NATO is the usage of Moscow’s next-generation Su-57, a platform that has essentially transcended the notion of so-called “fifth generation” aircraft. Being at the forefront of Russia’s investment in aviation technology, the jet is one of the world’s most advanced aircraft. Bristling with sensors, new advanced technologies and using the latest missiles and bombs, Su-57 can truly be defined as an “overkill” against the vastly outmatched Kiev regime’s air force. Its most important mission so far has been SEAD (suppression of enemy air defenses), most likely using Kh-59MK2 and Kh-31 cruise missiles, in addition to using its advanced electronic warfare capabilities.

However, it should be noted that aircraft such as the Su-25 attack/CAS (close air support), Su-30 multirole and Su-34 strike jets are the “bread and butter” of Russian VKS operations in Ukraine, conducting the vast majority of missions. These have been at the center of a targeted mainstream propaganda machine campaign, aiming to underestimate their performance and capabilities. And yet, the UK Ministry of Defense is rather unconvinced, as it has “expressed concern” with Moscow’s capabilities. Back in early January, the UK MoD confirmed the reports that Russian jets have managed to shoot down Kiev regime aircraft from ranges exceeding 200 kilometers, including with platforms such as the Su-57.

The “Felon’s” (NATO reporting name for Su-57) sensor suite of six AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars and advanced IRST (infrared search and track) systems allow it to simultaneously track more targets over extreme ranges than any other fighter jet in the world. And while the VKS operates only a dozen serial Su-57s, these have been a major force multiplier. The UK military is rather worried that “Felon’s” numbers have more than tripled since 2021 and are further expected to swell to 24 aircraft this year. Combined with the Su-35S and MiG-31, the Su-57 is a deadly challenge for NATO, according to the aforementioned January 2023 assessment by UK MoD that reported the fighters were “launching long-range air-to-surface and air-to-air missiles into Ukraine since at least June 2022”.

The range of the missiles used by the aforementioned Russian fighter jets is considered a dangerous challenge for their NATO rivals. This is particularly true when it comes to the unrivaled R-37M hypersonic air-to-air missile with its staggering maximum engagement range of 400km. It is precisely this missile that was most likely used in the record-breaking 217 km shoot-down, fired by either Su-35S or Su-57. Other UK outlets, such as The Conversation, have also reported that the UK military confirmed this in mid-February, stating that “the Russian MiG-31 and Su-57 operating the R-37M long-range hypersonic missile have engaged Ukrainian aircraft at a range of over 200 km from the safety of Russian airspace”, reluctantly admitting just how hopelessly outclassed the Kiev regime forces are.

The performance of the Su-57 is of particular concern for NATO. Its usage in Ukraine already made it the first and only next-generation fighter jet to engage in high-intensity operations. Of course, unless we count the decisive victory of the US Air Force F-22 “Raptor” over a Chinese weather balloon. However, in all seriousness, the USAF has operated fifth-generation aircraft for nearly 18 years, but it has never used them against advanced adversaries, as its aggression against the world is nearly always conducted against mostly helpless opponents. Although the Su-57 was also delayed for several years before it entered service, the Russian military used this time to ensure that the jet was as close to full readiness as it could possibly be, which is further reinforced by its combat use in Syria years before it was officially inducted.

Engaging and easily neutralizing formidable targets such as the Su-27, which, as previously mentioned, far exceeds the capabilities of US-made F-16 fighters, is a clear indicator of just how dangerous Russian jets are. In the case of Su-57, it also shows that the jet is not limited to an initial operating capability (IOC), despite its small numbers and having been inducted into service only 2 years ago. This stands in stark contrast to the best US/NATO jets, such as the F-22, which took years to reach IOC. This lasted for nearly five years before “Raptor” reached FOC (full operational capability). The case of the F-35 is even worse, as the troubled jet is yet to reach even IOC despite being in service for almost eight years now and nearly a quarter of a century since it made its first flight.

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