Ukraine's F‑16s limited by Western indecision on arms
Gen. Ihor Romanenko, former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, believes that the defence forces are not fully utilizing the F-16 fighters. However, he attributes this situation not to the technical condition or capabilities of the aircraft themselves, but to the indecisiveness of the West regarding the provision of appropriate weaponry.
The Ukrainian stated that the F-16 fighters currently transferred to his country can only perform air defence tasks, which they do very well. To more effectively counter Russian aggression, according to Romanenko, additional weapons that allow for striking ground targets are needed.
Ukrainian F-16s need more powerful armaments
The general emphasized the importance of equipping F-16s with more advanced missiles, such as JASSM, which would enable effective operations not only in the air but also against ground targets," TSN reported. "This is extremely important for us. We need not only the aircraft but also more powerful aviation weaponry," Romanenko commented.
JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) are missiles produced by the American company Lockheed Martin. For instance, F-16s equipped with AGM-158 JASSM are used by Poland, among others. These are subsonic missiles that reach speeds of about 0.8-0.9 Mach. They are also constructed with stealth technology. Older versions allow striking targets within a range of about 370 kilometres, while newer JASSM-ER variants extend this range to over 900 kilometres.
Previously, in the context of the equipment shortages of Ukrainian F-16s, the Link-16 data link standard was also mentioned. It is widely used by NATO countries, which likely led to concerns that, in the event of the loss of an F-16, some sensitive Western technologies might fall into Russian hands.
Ukrainian F-16s will receive something
The U.S. Department of State has made decisions that will improve the capabilities of F-16s. Although in a different scope, it should also positively influence their abilities.
On December 10, it was announced that there is agreement on so-called Sustainment Services worth over $266 million (CAD 377 million). This is a package of service support and necessary equipment, which will include the JMPS (Joint Mission Planning System) and AN/PYQ-10 cryptographic modules, among others.
The F-16 fighters themselves are also systematically reaching the front line. On December 7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the second batch of F-16s provided by Denmark had arrived. The Scandinavian country has planned a total of three batches, which will collectively strengthen the Ukrainian air force with 19 of these fighters.
