Russia Ukraine War Ukrainian Officials Wants US Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighter Jet, Would Give An Advantage, But Risk Escalation

Russia Ukraine War: American company Lockheed Martin’s much-discussed fighter aircraft F-16 can be launched in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine has sought military help from western countries to counter Russia, from which it has got many deadly and modern weapons. Now Ukrainian officials say they should also get F-16 fighter jets, which would help them recover from a full-scale invasion by Russia.

Ukraine demands F-16 from western countries

On the demand for F-16 fighter jets, many air defense experts say that US-made F-16 fighter jets will give Ukraine an edge over the Russian Air Force, but only if their deadly missiles are combined with target information. Only western countries will have to provide such facility. If this happens, the Ukrainian Air Force will get a large force in the war.

At the same time, Konstantinos Zikidis, an aerospace engineer at the Hellenic Aerospace Industry, said, “The F-16 is not infallible, nor is it a game-changer. Yes, the armies of many countries do use it.”

Please tell that Konstantinos is an aerospace engineer who has extensive experience in F-16. They say that the Sukhoi-35 is bigger and faster and has a more powerful radar. But if the F-16 gets to Ukraine, it can compete with the Russian Sukhoi-35, if some missiles from western countries are attached to it and tracking data is received from air radar.

Different types of missiles can be installed in F-16

Konstantinos Zikidis said, ‘If Ukraine gets the F-16s, they will likely come from Poland, which has said it is ready to hand over part of its warplane.’ “It consists of AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles, equipped with short-range infrared guided missiles with a range of 10-20 km (6-12-miles) that cannot be detected by other aircraft’s defense systems,” Zikidis said. Is. In addition, they have the AIM-120 AMRAAM, which covers a large range of up to 100 km (62 mi)… [और] Can update the target of the aircraft firing it. Both these missiles are among the most advanced missiles of NATO.

America does not want to give F-16 to Ukraine

Most NATO members in Europe have kept open the possibility of sending their F-16s to Ukraine, although US President Joe Biden said on Monday that they would not do so.

‘If Ukraine gets F-16, it will be a definite advantage’

Wing Commander Thanasis Papanikolaou, who commanded the formation of the F-16 planes, agreed that if the F-16 is available to Ukraine, it will give it a definite advantage. Papanikolaou said, “The Russians are adopting the old strategy, while the Western strategy is naval, ground forces, [एयरबोर्न] And the navy is prepared with using planes in conjunction with radar intelligence..this way the western countries will overpower Russia.

“The Su-35 may have great capabilities, but it lags behind the F-16 if equipped with Link 16,” Papanikolaou said, referring to NATO communications technology. Capable of taking pictures.

Crimea can also come under the ambit of AWACS

According to defense experts, if NATO’s AWACS radars work on the border of Romanian airspace, it can cover the entire Crimea. In such a situation, the Crimea which Ukraine wants to re-occupy, then it can get benefit in this way. The White House is ready to consider helping Ukraine.

Ukraine needs new technology fighter aircraft

Ukrainian officials say they want some of the most advanced versions of the F-16. Yuri Sak, an adviser to Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, said about this, “If we get them, the advantages on the battlefield will be enormous … It’s not just the F-16. It’s a fourth-generation advanced aircraft, that’s We want,”.

Poland may send F-16 to Ukraine

Poland, a European country bordering Ukraine that operates fourth-generation F-16 Block 52+ planes, said Monday that it would be ready to send them to Ukraine if NATO approved. At the start of the war, Ukraine’s air force was led by 50 MiG-29 fighters and 32 Sukhoi-27s, but a recent RUSI report said they were “overmatched”. The report said, “Russian aircraft can generally see and shoot forward, while Ukrainian aircraft in response were armed only with air-to-air weapons.”

Ukraine’s aircraft lagged behind Russia in the initial days

In the early days of the war, Moscow’s planes caused great damage to Ukraine. The Russian Air Force began jamming Ukrainian radars installed for air defense and Ukrainian anti-air batteries were being targeted.

Will Ukraine really benefit from the F-16?

Experts say that even against Russian weapons, the F-16 Block 52+ may not be a gamechanger, but it could add to Ukraine’s air strike capabilities.

F-16 is the most made in the world

The F-16 is the world’s most produced fighter jet, with many being decommissioned in Europe as the F-35 arrives for NATO members. Lockheed Martin, which produces the F-16, said in a statement it may ramp up production to replace the planes sent to Ukraine.

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