Ukraine, The Most Hostile Skies F-16s Have Ever Encountered

Never since they first flew in 1974 have the F-16s had to operate on such a dangerous battlefield as the one in Ukraine.

The first F-16s are expected to arrive in Ukraine this summer. And their mission will be the most dangerous in their half-century history.

Past experiences in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, or the former Yugoslavia appear to have been child’s play for the F-16 compared to what lies ahead in Ukraine.

Former pilots who flew aboard this type of aircraft discussed it with reporters Business Insidera publication that cannot even be accused of “Putinism”.

For example, John Baum, a retired former US Air Force lieutenant with more than 2,300 hours of flight time in F-16s, now a senior researcher at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, is trenchant:

“Ukrainian F-16s fighting Russia is without a doubt the most difficult scenario possible for an F-16.”

First of all, the devices manufactured by the Lockheed company will have to face the very modern Russian air defense systems, S-300 and S-400.

The article explains:

“Russia’s arsenal of surface-to-air systems is more modern and advanced than those the F-16 has faced in past conflicts.”

Russia also has a “huge fleet” of Su-35 and MiG-31 aircraft, equipped with R-37 long-range missiles and powerful radars.

And early warning systems can detect F-16s from “hundreds of miles away”.

For his part, Brynn Tannehill, a former F-16 pilot and now a military analyst, says:

“There are a gazillion ways to detect these F-16s. The Russians are bringing state-of-the-art equipment (to the Ukrainian front).”

He explained that former enemies of the F-16, encountered in the Middle East or the former Yugoslavia,“they usually operated with old Soviet equipment and were probably not as well trained or equipped” as the Russians are now.

John Baum returns explaining that from takeoff the F-16s could be within range of Russian surface-to-air systems because they would not have neutral territory to use to their advantage to was safely approaching the battlespace.

So Ukrainian F-16 pilots can be “spot and target before they even start making their own tactics”says Baum.

A month ago, the magazine Forbes wrote in roughly the same tone about the effect F-16s will have in the war in Ukraine:

“Once it deploys them in combat, in the coming weeks or months, Ukraine will lose F-16s and pilots — probably a lot of them. The big question is what Kiev gains from this sacrifice.”