F-16s in Ukraine are putting in the work, according to Ukrainian pilot

You may not be hearing much about F-16s operating in Ukraine – but that may be by design, as new details about F-16 operations in the embattled nation are beginning to trickle out to the public. 

Recently, General Christopher Cavoli, the Chief of the U.S. European Command, reported to the Senate Armed Services Committee that Ukrainian F-16s are now flying both offensive and defensive combat operations over Ukraine every day. In the defensive role, the general reported that these fighters have downed a significant number of Russian cruise missiles, which are powered by air-breathing jet engines and usually fly at subsonic speeds, much like a tactical aircraft. 

Yet, F-16s have also been flying offensive operations in eastern Ukraine, bombing Russian positions near the front lines. The general did not disclose how many F-16s are currently operating in Ukraine, but he did say that more are still coming in from European partners. Publicly available reports show at least 85 F-16s have been promised to Ukraine but it is unclear how many have been delivered so far. There have been two documented F-16 losses so far with the first being suspected as a friendly-fire incident.

The F-16 is among the most capable and widely operated 4th-generation fighters on the planet, making it a logical choice for equipping Ukraine’s military because aircraft and support materials can come from any of the about two-dozen countries that fly these fighters. However, F-16s also require fairly long, well maintained runways and are most vulnerable to attack in between flights while waiting on the tarmac. As such, Ukraine has to be very secretive about how many F-16s it is flying and where they’re operating to limit Russia’s ability to strike these jets with long-range cruise or ballistic missiles. 

Over a month ago, one Ukrainian F-16 pilot broke cover to answer some questions in an official release. The pilot spoke very highly of these Western fighters, as compared to the Soviet-era Su-27s and MiG-29s the country has been operating since the onset of the Russian invasion. 

According to the pilot, the integration of weapons and targeting delivered by the F-16 makes for an extremely efficient combination, with roughly 80% of all missiles launched ultimately scoring direct hits on their targets even amid the chaos of the battlefield. While he didn’t reference specific weapons, Ukrainian F-16s have been spotted recently carrying GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs, which are incredibly capable glide bombs provided by the United States. 

The pilot also highlighted how effective the F-16s has been at hunting airborne targets like cruise missiles as well as one-way attack drones like the Iranian-sourced Shahed-136 that Russian forces call the Geran-2. 

According to that unnamed pilot, F-16s are flying multiple sorties per day. This is an exceptional pace considering the monumental effort underway to ensure these fighters have sufficient maintainers and equipment to keep them jets running. He said these fighters are primarily tasked with protecting vital infrastructure, but do conduct bombing missions at what he called a “tactical depth” into Russian-controlled territory. 

Despite the capabilities of the F-16, as well as other Western fighters like the French-made Mirage 2000s that recently began arriving in Ukraine, that unnamed pilot still emphasized the dire need for more air defense assets to hold Russian attacks at bay, highlighting just how difficult the fighting for Ukraine’s sovereignty continues to be, even as the U.S. attempts to push for a temporary ceasefire.

Feature Image: A Ukrainian F-16 with a full loadout, undisclosed date. (X)

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