Ukraine's F‑16s face increasing risks amid U.S. pause

American support for Ukraine also impacts weapons that were not provided by the United States. An example is the F-16AM/BM aircraft supplied by Denmark. A few weeks ago, a photo of one of these aircraft laden with weapons and equipment circulated globally.

Under one of the pylons of the Ukrainian F-16, an AN/ALQ-131 ECM pod, meant for electronic warfare (EW), was visible. Although its early version appeared in the 1970s, the pod has been amenable to upgrades and continues to be developed, thus providing protection against an ever-expanding range of threats.

The withdrawal of American support (which is expected to resume after discussions in Saudi Arabia) means that, although the F-16AM/BM can still take to the skies, and the ECM pod will still function, the Americans might not supply updates containing new threat signatures and methods of jamming them. As a result, Ukrainian pods will not be able to "learn" new threats.

If the Americans do not resume support, the risk of flying Ukrainian F-16s will increase because electronic warfare over Ukraine is very intense. The equipment used by both sides is constantly evolving, which requires continual adaptation of jamming systems.

As noted by Forbes, although the safety of Ukrainian F-16 pilots has been compromised, the Ukrainian air force will not be entirely defenseless. This is thanks to the Dassault Mirage 2000-5F aircraft supplied by France, which have been equipped with French electronic warfare pods ICS Mk 2 or ICS Mk 3.

Although mounting French EW pods under American aircraft is currently not possible, it may become feasible in the long term, as demonstrated by the Belgians, among others, in the 1990s. Ukraine may also eventually integrate non-U.S. EW equipment with its F-16s.