6/12/2024, 12:25:16 PM · by ransomnote · 25 replies
YOUTUBE ^ | June 11, 2024 | Alexander Mercouris, vanity
Maybe she should be forced to take a mental competency test.
Posted on 07/26/2024 9:58:45 PM PDT by ransomnote
The advanced U.S. fighter aircraft will mark a significant upgrade to Ukraine’s air force, but their impact on the war with Russia will hinge on several factors.
Ukraine is set to receive U.S.-made F-16 fighter aircraft within months, an upgrade that Kyiv and its Western allies hope will help level the playing field with Russia’s formidable air force. But the F-16s will only have a meaningful impact on the war in Ukraine if Kyiv and its partners can build and maintain the extensive support and logistics infrastructure necessary to keep these world-class warplanes in the air.
What is the F-16 and what are its unique capabilities?
More From Our ExpertsThe F-16 Fighting Falcon (also known as the “Viper”) is a major upgrade from the Soviet-era fighters that Ukrainians currently fly. Made by U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the F-16 is a fourth-generation fighter—only one generation behind state-of-the-art stealth fighters such as the F-35 Lighting and F-22 Raptor.
More on:
Air Power and Military Aircraft
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Depending on the model and its upgrades, the F-16 can perform many roles, including both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. In the cockpit, its human-machine interface is designed to enable pilots to make informed decisions quickly, while its relatively advanced radar and munitions allow pilots to engage targets at approximately one hundred kilometers (sixty-two miles).
F-16s will add an additional layer of defense to Ukraine’s current air defense artillery systems. Ukraine will likely use its F-16s to intercept inbound Russian cruise missiles and other less-advanced surface-to-air missiles. As a multi-role fighter, the F-16 can also provide air support to Ukrainian ground operations, help deter Russia from gaining control over additional airspace, and help prevent Russian aircraft from conducting close air-support operations along the front lines.
Additionally, the F-16’s various weapons—which include AGM-88 high-speed, anti-radiation missiles, autonomously tracking AIM-120 air-to-air missiles, small-diameter bombs, and standoff weapons (Storm Shadow cruise missiles)—and its integration within the localized air defense systems, will help Ukraine further align militarily with its Western partners.
How many F-16s will Ukraine get and when?
Ukraine began requesting F-16s shortly after Russia’s February 2022 invasion, but it wasn’t until last summer that the United States approved a third-party transfer from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway. As it stands, these North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations have promised to deliver multiple squadrons’ worth of these fighters (approximately sixty aircraft total) to Ukraine. The first F-16s are reportedly set to arrive as early as June, around the same time that Ukrainian pilots will begin graduating from their training on how to fly the aircraft.
Currently, Ukraine’s aging fleet of fighter aircraft includes several dozen Soviet-era MiG-29s and Su-27s. In contrast, Russia flies the more capable Su-35, giving them a technological advantage over Ukraine in any air-to-air combat.
What will it take to train Ukraine’s F-16 pilots and support crews?
The 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard, in Tucson, operates the United States’ foreign training unit for F-16 pilots, and several Ukrainian pilots are receiving F-16 instruction there. Training a new F-16 pilot takes up to nine months and close to ninety hours of flight time, depending on the proficiency of the pilot. The course is divided into blocks of academics, simulators, and live fly events, with pilots progressing based on their previous experience and English-language skills. During the intensive course, Ukrainian pilots are trained in principles of air-to-air and air-to-ground combat, culminating in a “checkride” that validates their skill level and ability to handle any emergency procedure. Pilots will train further at centers in Romania and Denmark, whose offerings will be similar to U.S.-taught courses, but with added instruction in NATO-specific flying fundamentals.
The learning curve for flying for F-16s can be quite steep, even for experienced pilots. The F-16 is an extremely capable, highly maneuverable aircraft with a large suite of advanced capabilities. Pilots new to the F-16 can struggle to master the wide-ranging skills required to perform the jet’s various missions. As Ukraine adds F-16s to its fleet, it should carefully consider the proficiency of its operators and how they are employed. Without the right mix of training, demonstration of proficiency, and integration into the larger air-power construct, the F-16’s introduction will not have Ukraine’s desired effects on the conflict.
What other military infrastructure is needed to operate this fourth-generation fighter?
One factor that sometimes gets lost in public discussions about military aid to Ukraine, particularly regarding highly sophisticated platforms such as the F-16, is the vital roles played by various people on the ground to keep these aircraft and their weapons systems operating safely and successfully in a high-intensity combat environment.
For instance, for every F-16 pilot, there is a significant maintenance and logistics “tail” of support personnel that accompanies each aircraft to keep it airworthy. A typical package of twelve aircraft needs close to 250 maintainers to remain viable. These include mechanics and airframe specialists, crew chiefs, munitions loaders, and aircrew life support. To create the targeting and mission packages, a robust team of intelligence analysts and targeting experts is required to ensure operational success. Meanwhile, onsite emergency personnel, including firefighters and medics, are needed to ensure safe ground operations. Ukraine will also need to consider stationing formidable surface to air missile defenses near its F-16 operating locations. For symbolic and operational reasons, Russia will likely be interested in attacking any F-16 that is parked on the ground for an extended period of time.
MORE AT THE LINK: What It Takes to Fly the F-16: Challenges for Ukraine
I also remember being told for almost a year that they would be arriving next Tuesday, if only I believed the poster about it today.
I nicknamed the guy "Wimpy".
Not according to Kamala.
In the General/Chat forum, on a thread titled What It Takes to Fly the F-16: Challenges for Ukraine, Right_Wing_Madman wrote: The Ukrainians were pretending the planes would leave Romainia and land/refuel/arm in one of their air bases, which is just not feasible
Neocons can't read a map. Ukraine is a large country. The F-16 can't reach Donbass from Rumania, and the front is out of range from Kiev!
It really doesn’t take all that much skill to fly an F-16 if soon after it taxis onto a runway it is bombed to smithereens.
Mr. Blueway was stationed at Hill AFB 388th Tactical Fighter Wing as a maintenance officer in 1979 when the F16 was first operational.
The F16 was known as the first fly-by-wire fighter, therefore the pilots had a steep learning curve.
Fortunately, it had an excellent egress system that helped keep pilots alive in those early years.
It seems odd to me that a forty-five year old aircraft is in the news so frequently lately.
Maybe she should be forced to take a mental competency test.
Bed headboard CTE.
Memorable scene of a pilot in an unfamiliar aircraft in Independence Day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK0o-8LWLFM
Oh, golly! If Putin says he views them as nuclear threats (even though they aren't), then we sure as heck better do as he says and withdraw them!
After all, Putin is the one who started this Special Military Operation war of invasion and conquest more than two years ago, so he has the right to dictate the ground rules.
And if Putin says that the Russians are allowed to use advanced fighters, but the Ukrainians aren't, that's good enough for me!
Regards,
It’s all for show. The Ukrainians will fly a token number of daytime only CAP sorties over Kyiv from NATO airbases with the F-16s. The pilots they have available for the F-16 training (which is a year behind schedule) are far too few in number to do anything meaningful in contested airspace, and that is assuming they’ll have enough pilots making it through training to be capable of flying any sorties at all.
The more they crash the more they buy.
Win win for those making money from the effort.
In truth, even a limited tactical use of a single nuclear weapon against Ukraine would swiftly result in massive conventional retaliation by the US and NATO and Russia becoming a pariah around the world.
The single greatest threat of F-16s is against Crimea's lines of communication with Russia, especially the bridge across the Kerch strait. The range of an F-16 from the furthest parts of west Ukraine easily includes the Kerch bridge. That is why the Russians recently concentrated their air defense assets there.
It's been said that average Americans communicate at the level of 8-year-olds. But liberalism is the political philosophy of 2-year-olds ("I WANT WHAT I WANT WHEN I WANT IT!!!") - given her audience, she may be 'dumbing it down' even further on purpose...
To little to late.
They needed about 800 combat aircraft in April of last year. They needed that to control the skies and hunt and kill artillery positions before the offensive.
This is just another example of a poorly run democratic conflict that gets many people killed for nothing. Hopefully Trump can end it.
Where do you morons come from?
What I read says it takes an American pilot up to 9 months to train in the F-16. Good Grief! I was hoping the war would be over before then!
In the General/Chat forum, on a thread titled What It Takes to Fly the F-16: Challenges for Ukraine, Rockingham wrote: The Russians know and play on the American fear of escalation across a nuclear threshold. As the immediate and most likely target of a Russian nuclear strike, Ukraine has no reason to desire or provoke Russian use of nuclear weapons. In truth, even a limited tactical use of a single nuclear weapon against Ukraine would swiftly result in massive conventional retaliation by the US and NATO and Russia becoming a pariah around the world.
The single greatest threat of F-16s is against Crimea's lines of communication with Russia, especially the bridge across the Kerch strait. The range of an F-16 from the furthest parts of west Ukraine easily includes the Kerch bridge. That is why the Russians recently concentrated their air defense assets there.
NATO members don't want their own countries exposed to nukes so they fight their war in the Ukraine, trying to goad the Russians into firing on the Ukraine. NATO doesn't care about the Ukrainians - that's why they've prolonged the war long after any hope of winning was proven futile.
History shows bridges of strategic use have been blown up without F-16's.
The F-16's are a vehicle NATO hopes to use to get WWIII started. It's not that the US would be a first strike target. It's that once they provoke Russia to fire on the Ukraine, then the US and other nations will claim they are justified in firing on Russia.
hahahahahahahaha
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.