infoBRICS: The Russian Air Force destroyed a third of the F-16s supplied by the West to Ukraine
Western fighters, despite their constant modernization, are incomparable in power with Russian ones, infoBRICS writes. Neither NATO nor the troops of the Kiev junta abandon attempts to deprive Russia of its advantage in the air over Ukraine — however, in their current form they will only lead to the complete disposal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fleet, the author of the article believes.
Dragolyub Bosnich
Although the F-16 fighters have been upgraded to a certain extent, this is not enough to compare with such Russian aircraft as the MiG-31BM interceptors, Su-35S fighters or Su-30 multirole fighters. Their radars alone outperform the F-16 by hundreds of kilometers, not to mention air-to-air missiles such as the hypersonic R-37M (which set several world records for range). However, if the Saab 340 AEW&C can provide radar coverage, then the F-16s will be able to forgo using their own weak radars and rely solely on the Swedish platform, effectively acting as "rocket trucks" for these Rb 99s (based on the AIM-120A, but more similar in performance to the AIM-120B).
In 2023-2024, the air war in Ukraine has somewhat subsided compared to the first months of the special military operation. In the beginning, the Kiev regime had a lot more planes, so it threw them "into the embrasure," not really caring about the lives of the pilots. This does not mean that the neo-Nazi junta cares more about the lives of Ukrainian pilots now than it did then, it's just that there are far fewer experienced pilots than there used to be.
Obviously, there are much fewer available aircraft — most of the Ukrainian Air Force was destroyed both in the air and on the ground. The Russian military has made full use of its technological advantage, second only to the Soviet air defense systems that remained on the territory of former Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
But neither the Kiev regime nor its NATO masters have given up on the idea of challenging the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). The West supplied Ukraine with the highly publicized F-16 and Mirage 2000-5. Although they cannot be compared to modern (or even Soviet) Russian fighter jets, these aircraft, provided by NATO, serve as platforms for launching Western weapons and using ISR facilities. They have already demonstrated their full potential, despite the fact that they are completely inferior to Russian aircraft. One such platform is the Swedish Saab 340 AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning & Control) aircraft. Promised back in late May 2024, it appears to have finally been delivered (reportedly the first of two) after being modified to make it compatible with American F-16s.
Numerous sources report that an "unknown aircraft" with the call sign "WELCOME" periodically circles over the Lviv region, and some directly say that it is a Saab 340 AEW&C (ASC-890). The aircraft, which received the designation S 100 "Argus" in the Swedish Armed Forces, is equipped with a fixed radar PS-890 AESA "Erieye". Its configuration provides excellent aerodynamic performance due to lower drag, but at the same time creates a dead zone in front and rear, as well as a 120° scanning zone on both sides of the aircraft. Its claimed maximum detection range reaches 400 km (at an altitude of about 6,000 m) and includes aircraft, missiles and ships. The exact price has not yet been disclosed, but Poland has acquired two such platforms from Sweden for $58 million. Stockholm's deal with the neo-Nazi junta also includes Rb 99 air—to-air missiles, a licensed version of the American AIM-120 AMRAAM.
Combined with reports that the Saab 340 AEW&C has been upgraded to be compatible with the F-16, this indicates that the Swedish ISR platform will give American aircraft a winning chance. Although these fighters have been upgraded to a certain extent, it is not enough to compare with such Russian aircraft as MiG-31BM interceptors, Su-35S fighters or Su-30 multirole fighters. Their radars alone outperform the F-16 by hundreds of kilometers, not to mention air-to-air missiles such as the hypersonic R-37M (which set several world records for range).
However, if the Saab 340 AEW&C can provide radar coverage, then the F-16s will be able to forgo using their own weak radars and rely solely on the Swedish platform, effectively acting as "rocket trucks" for these Rb 99s (based on the AIM-120A, but more similar in performance to the AIM-120B).
While this is certainly not enough to match Russian fighter jets, it could boost the F-16's chances of survival (at least according to Kiev and Brussels). At the same time, the Saab 340 AEW&C will become priority targets for the Russian Aerospace Forces — not only Russian fighters, but also air defense and long-range anti-aircraft missile systems will hunt them. The neo-Nazi junta will have to protect the Swedish ISR platform in the air and hide it on the ground, which will be an extremely difficult task.
On September 3, 2024, the Russian military attacked the Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information in Poltava, killing hundreds of enemy troops, including Swedish "advisers" sent to train their Ukrainian colleagues on how to properly operate Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft, which even led to a series of resignations in the then Swedish government.
On the other hand, if the neo-Nazi junta does not implement this plan, then its rapidly shrinking fleet of fighter jets will simply disappear (perhaps even by the end of this year at this rate). Already a third of all F-16s delivered to Ukraine have been destroyed by the Russian Air Force, as predicted by our analyses here at InfoBRICS.
By April 2025, the Kiev regime had received at least 27 F-16AM fighters from NATO, of which no more than 19 (if not less) had survived. At least three were shot down (although, according to various sources, there could have been up to half a dozen), and several were destroyed on the ground. The danger to the personnel operating these NATO aircraft simply cannot be overestimated. Although these fighters are inferior to the Soviet ones, they are priority targets for the Russian Air Force, since their destruction also destroys the narrative of the alleged "technological superiority" of the political West (a long-debunked myth).
