WSJ: US Preparing ‘Surprises’ For F-16s To Be Transferred To Ukraine
8- 30.07.2024, 16:42
- 23,104
The fighters will be equipped with modern weapons.
The US has agreed to arm dozens of F-16 fighters that will be transferred to Ukraine with American-made missiles and other modern weapons, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal.
A US official, with whom the publication spoke, said that despite the limited reserves and production capabilities of the Pentagon, it will provide the F-16s with air-to-ground munitions, precision-guided bomb kits, and modern air-to-air missiles in sufficient quantities to meet Ukraine's most pressing needs.
“We are confident that we will be able to supply all of these [weapons], at least the critical quantities that they need,” he said.
It is noted that the weapons in question for the F-16 are:
AGM-88 HARM air-to-ground missiles;
versions of the Joint Direct Attack Munition, which turns unguided bombs into smart weapons;
small-diameter bombs that explode in a narrow radius;
advanced AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles;
AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missiles for aircraft.
“The aircraft itself is worthless without weapons,” said Maj. Gen. Rolf Folland, commander of the Royal Norwegian Air Force.
The United States and its allies have declined to give a specific time frame for receiving the aircraft and weapons for security reasons.
As for aircraft maintenance and pilot training, one of the WSJ’s interlocutors said that most repair work can be done outside the United States, but closer to the combat zone, but eventually Ukraine will need its own repair facilities.
Once the pilot training and maintenance process is up and running, there are still concerns about using the jets in combat, especially since the Ukrainian pilots are accustomed to flying Soviet jets.
Another source noted that while it typically takes more than four years for a Danish F-16 pilot to become fully trained to fly, the Ukrainian pilots only needed about a year.
“And unlike American F-16 pilots, who typically spend at least a year with their unit before deploying, these guys are going into combat,” the US official said of the Ukrainian fighters.
It’s also unclear how the F-16s will be used against Russian forces.
The US official said Washington would limit the weapons to strikes inside Russia, as it does with other weapons. That would limit Kyiv to using them on Russian soil only in response to attacks from abroad.
He added that Ukraine wants to use fighter jets to fly to the border and fire at Russia, but this tactic is not realistic in the current conditions due to the threat from Russian surface-to-air missiles.
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