Sending old versions of F-16 fighters to Ukraine will require their replacement in four to six years, and transferring new Block 70 modification aircraft to Kiev turns out to be too expensive for the United States. Military analysts John Hyun and William Courtney write about this in a column on Defense News.
The authors calculated that, together with maintenance and weapons, one new F-16 costs $ 200 million.
"According to a recent report by the Government Accounts Chamber, the operation of one F-16 costs $4.6 million per year, or $184 million for a fleet of 40 aircraft. The budget of the Air Forces of Ukraine in 2020 amounted to almost $ 1.1 billion, including support for about 70 old, former Soviet fighters," experts say.
The authors do not exclude that "in the long term, Ukraine can count on a constant influx of used F-16s" and used European-made fighters.
In May, The Drive wrote that Ukrainian F-16 fighters can be equipped with AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM), AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, as well as GBU-53/B bombs. Small Diameter Bomb (SDB).
