First F‑16 fighter jets arrive in Ukraine, challenging Russian skies

The first American F-16 fighter jets have already arrived in Ukraine. The Russians had ample time to prepare for this transfer, but how do Moscow's best machines fare in direct confrontation with the F-16? Ukrainian military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko has assessed this.

The initial batch of F-16 aircraft has now been delivered to the soldiers, and official photos of the long-awaited machines by the defenders have appeared online. Although their number is insufficient to dominate Russia in the air entirely, the presence of American equipment in Ukraine provides greater hope for changing the situation on the front in favour of Kyiv.

But does the Russian Federation possess the weapons it needs to respond to Ukraine? Analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko believes so. The expert points out that F-16 fighter jets will be comparable to Russian MiG-31BM jets under actual combat conditions.

– Ukrainian F-16s will be practically on par with the most dangerous Russian MiG-31BM because their radar range practically matches them due to accompanying factors. In a confrontation with Su-27/30/34/35 and MiG-29/39, the Ukrainian F-16 will have an advantage – says Kovalenko, quoted by the Ukrainian agency Unian.

The Ukrainian expert also emphasises that the Russian armed forces have R-37 missiles with a declared range of 200 to 300 kilometres, which managed to shoot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 from a distance of at least 200 kilometres on one occasion. While this does not mean that the Russians will be able to easily shoot down the F-16 with the missile mentioned, it shows that Moscow has ways to respond to the new threat in the air.

However, it's significant that during the mentioned 200-kilometre shootdown, the MiG-31BM collaborated with an A-50 radar aircraft, which enabled the missile to be guided at such a long distance. The problem is that after the Ukrainians destroyed several of these machines, the Russians kept the A-50 far from the front. Nevertheless, the MiG-31BM is considered – according to the expert – to be the aircraft that, under actual conditions, will be able to respond to an attack from the F-16.

Let us recall that official photos and recordings showing the handover of F-16s to Ukraine indicate that American machines are armed with short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and medium-range AIM-120 AMRAAMs. Additionally, extra fuel tanks are installed under their wings to achieve an excellent range for conducting missions.

An unusual yet highly modern addition to the Ukrainian equipment is the ECIPS/CJS electronic warfare pod. This tool increases crew survivability during flights. The F-16's very good manoeuvrability, determined by its low empty weight of 8,000 kilograms and maximum speed reaching approximately 2,500 kilometres per hour, remains significant in this context.