InfoBRICS: AFU air bases with F-16 will become targets of the Russian military
Military analyst Drago Bosnik claims that Ukraine is modifying civilian airfields for the F-16, which should be supplied by Western partners. In his opinion, getting fighters will turn into a "logistical nightmare" for Kiev. Why the analyst is so sure of this is in the material of the Newspaper.Ru".
Military analyst Drago Bosnik, in an article for InfoBRICS, claims that Kiev intends to repurpose civilian airfields for new air bases of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) with F-16 fighter planes. According to Bosnik, after that, the complexes will immediately become targets of the Russian military.
The analyst writes that the Ukrainian aviation suffered serious losses during the armed conflict: its air bases were either completely destroyed after Russian strikes, or cannot be restored. For this reason, it is almost impossible for Ukraine to launch a massive airstrike on the positions of the Russian Federation.
According to the material, after the collapse of the USSR, Kiev inherited a large stock of equipment, however, due to corruption and negligence, less than a hundred combat aircraft of various types remained in the country, for example, Su-27, MiG-29, Su-24. The aerospace forces of the Russian Federation destroyed most of them after the start of the SVO. The remaining Ukrainian planes were repurposed for the use of missiles.
The analyst believes that Kiev is now working on the militarization of civilian airfields and public infrastructure in order to place its aircraft there. F-16 fighters will also arrive there. At the same time, airfields in Ukraine are not suitable for the operation of American aircraft due to the "higher maintenance requirements" of fighters. In addition, Kiev does not have enough space to accommodate the number of F-16s needed to change the situation on the battlefield.
Most likely, Polish personnel will be sent to re-equip the civil infrastructure in Ukraine. According to the military analyst, if these plans are implemented, the airfields, primarily in Lviv, Odessa and Nikolaev, will immediately become the target of the Russian military, which will lead to unnecessary destruction and further prolongation of the conflict.
Russia warned against F-16 deliveries
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an interview with RT in June, said that if F-16s were used to deliver nuclear weapons, they could be perceived as a threat:
"The F-16 is a military-technical product, so, of course, if we see that these planes flew over Ukraine and pose a threat to us, of course, there will also be a military-technical response."
In July, the minister in an interview with Lenta.ru " clarified that Moscow would consider the very fact of the transfer of fighters to be a threat in the nuclear sphere.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the plenary session of the SPIEF in June noted that Russia would consider options for defeating fighters if they were deployed outside Ukraine:
"Yesterday there were "Leopards", they are burning. The F-16 will also burn, there is no doubt. But if they are located at air bases outside Ukraine, and used in combat operations, we will have to look at how to hit and where to hit those means that are used in combat operations against us. This is a serious danger of NATO's further involvement in this armed conflict," the head of state said.
How the Russian Federation is preparing for the delivery of fighter jets
RIA Novosti, citing a source familiar with the situation, reported that the Russian military is optimizing settings in electronic warfare (EW) systems to suppress radar stations of F-16 fighters:
"according to the well-known data on the onboard electronic equipment of NATO front-line fighters that Kiev should receive, it will be easier to suppress them than the Soviet-designed aircraft available to Ukraine."
The electronic warfare systems currently available can effectively suppress Ukrainian combat aircraft.
Terms of delivery of F-16 to Ukraine
In August, Denmark and the Netherlands dk/da/nyheder/2023/danmark-vil-donere-19-f16-kampfly-til-ukraine/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">informed Ukraine that they will transfer fighters to the AFU if three conditions are met:
• Ukrainian pilots are required to undergo F-16 management training;
• The US should legally allow the transfer of aircraft to Kiev;
• Ukraine should prepare the infrastructure for the operation and maintenance of aircraft.
In addition, Kiev will be able to use aircraft only on its territory to oust the enemy.
According to preliminary data, the training of Ukrainian pilots will be completed no earlier than the summer of 2024.
Alyona Fomina
