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A game changer in the Ukraine air war
Having become an essential defense against Russian drones, repeated interceptions carried out by Ukrainian Air Force F-16 jets are wearing out the country’s small fleet.
According to an analysis of the Ukraine air war written by airpower expert Justin Bronk for the Royal United Services Institute, a British think tank, Ukrainian F-16s have destroyed more than 2,500 Geran and Gerbera one-way attack drones.
As reported by Military Times, an estimated fleet of 39 F-16s (out of about 79 promised by various Western European nations) is currently operated by Ukraine. An estimated four Mirage 2000-5 fighters, out of up to 20 promised by France, plus a few Soviet-era Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters are also flown by the country.
The F-16s have been a game changer in the Ukraine air war. Because of its Viper fleet the Ukrainian Air force can launch stand-off attacks against ground targets using American-made JDAM and French-made AASM Hammer glide bombs. Last month a service F-16 reportedly even downed an Su-35 over eastern Ukraine leaving no doubts about the threat they pose to Russia’s air force.
How Ukraine F-16s can be protected against Russian attacks
But how did Ukraine manage to protect its fleet of F-16 and other fighters from Russian attacks for so long? Aren‘t they an extremely vulnerable and difficult to conceal target when on the ground?
Eric Wicklund, former US Navy Operation Specialist, explains on Quora;
‘Any aircraft is vulnerable when it’s on the ground. It’s the easiest time to destroy them. However, Ukraine is using clever trickery to keep their aircraft safe.
‘Firstly, Ukraine doesn’t keep their planes in one location for very long. They are constantly shuttling from location to location. Never staying in one spot long enough for prying eyes to collect targeting information.
‘Secondly, Ukraine is very good at operating F-16s from highways. Yes, F-16s need pristine roadways, and they are susceptible to FOD (Foreign Object Damage), but if you have industrious crews that can keep those roadways clean, then you can, in fact, use F-16s there. Below, a Polish F-16 is doing that very thing.
Inflatable decoys
‘Thirdly, you can use covered buildings. The enemy may know that such and such building could house a fighter inside, but since its covered, the enemy doesn’t know if one is in there or not. Sure, they could fire a multi-million-dollar missile at it, but they’ll never know if they got a plane. You can only fire at nothing so many times before the cost-effectiveness of it becomes untenable.’
Wicklund concludes;
‘Lastly, Ukraine could be using inflatable decoys. Some of these are really impressive. In the photo below, you’re very close and can easily see which F-16 is the real one. But from 10,000ft or from a satellite, they will look identical.’
Photo credit: Polish Armed Forces and i2K Defense
