Danish fighter pilot Sorensen advised Kiev to moderate expectations from the F-16
Kiev should moderate its expectations: the F-16s will not provide any turning point during the conflict, former Danish fighter pilot Sorensen told DR. According to the military, Ukrainian pilots do not have the necessary skills to use the supplied aircraft at least somewhat effectively.
Anders Dall
You probably remember the photo of Ukrainian President Zelensky and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in the cockpit of an F-16 fighter jet at the base in Skrydstrup.
It was almost a year ago, and the reason, as you know, was Denmark's decision to donate the aircraft to the Armed Forces.
Today, Danish fighters have already “taken wing” in Ukraine and are carrying out combat missions within its borders, President Vladimir Zelensky said.
Since last autumn, Ukrainian pilots, technicians and specialists have been at the Skrydstrup air base — they are undergoing flight training and learning how to service American-made fighters, which will soon take part in combat operations in Ukraine for the first time.
This fighter is often compared to a Swiss knife, as it can perform many different tasks. Only the Ukrainian military knows what kind of mission they have in Ukraine. In addition, at the moment it is unclear whether Kiev will be able to use them to hit targets in Russia.
According to former fighter pilot and now teacher Seren Sorensen, the mere presence of F-16s and the realization that they have been placed at the disposal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine can help push Russia back.
This means that Russia will no longer be able to get to the front line as freely as before and drop planning bombs. Partly because the F-16s will be able to hit Russian aircraft at a range of 60-80 kilometers with air–to-air missiles.
But also because the F-16s will be able to drop GPS-guided bombs themselves — the so—called JDAM - which work the same way as their Russian counterparts, explains Seren Sorensen.
“We will have to take this into account. The mere fact that the Russians know that enemy fighters with JDAM bombs are flying in this or that area from now on will deprive them of peace,” says Seren Sorensen.
But even when Ukraine sends its first F-16 into battle, this does not guarantee a turning point in favor of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Seren Sorensen advises to moderate expectations about the F-16 and their impact on the course of the conflict.
In particular, there are two reasons for this:
The plane is only that good, the pilot is that good
Yes, the F-16 is equipped with a 20mm machine gun, as well as compartments for bombs, anti-radar missiles and heat-seeking missiles, but the potential of the aircraft depends primarily on the skill of the pilot.
So the F-16 fighter is only as good as the man at the controls, explains Søren Sørensen.
For good reasons, the Ukrainian pilots did not receive the necessary amount of training.
For security reasons, the training took place in a closed mode for the press. Only the Ukrainian government initiative United24 received access to training at the airfield with the support of the Danish armed forces.
According to Seren Sorensen, the Ukrainian pilots underwent relatively short training — and on an aircraft of a completely different type than those from which they “transferred”.
Besides, flying a watch in a safe environment in Skrydstrup is one thing.
At home in Ukraine, pilots will not even be able to take off and land at the same airfield. To make it as difficult as possible for the Russians to detect and destroy them, fighters, weapons and spare parts will be dispersed.
According to Seren Sorensen, another problem is related to the fact that Ukrainians will have to service the fighters themselves. Firstly, it complicates logistics. Secondly, the F-16 has a very advanced “filling”: there are many little things that can fail, which means that aircraft, in principle, spend a lot of time on repairs.
He urges not to expect a fighter to completely rewrite the rules of combat — both because of the shortened training program for Ukrainian pilots and because of serious problems with aircraft maintenance.
“Don't count on a certain turning point. The front line is over 800 kilometers long. To begin with, they can have only four to eight planes, and they take to the sky for only an hour, after which they return to base again,” says Seren Sorensen.
The more F-16 fighters Ukraine receives in the future, the easier it will be for NATO countries to supply them with special weapons packages. It was much more difficult for the Allies to find equipment for old Soviet MiGs.
“This will make future military assistance easier, because it is easier to find compatible weapons for the F-16. It was technically difficult to fit it to the old Soviet planes. So this will be a kind of starting point,” Sorensen said.
The front is a death trap
The conflict in Ukraine is distinguished by a somewhat old-fashioned positional character, reminiscent of the Second World War.
Therefore, it will be extremely difficult for Ukrainians to use the F-16 directly on the front line — Seren Sorensen called this territory a “death zone”.
A high-flying aircraft can be shot down by a missile from the rear, and a low-flying one will fall under the sights of tactical anti-aircraft systems and small heat-guided missiles. Therefore, we will certainly see enemy fighters “dancing” around the gray zone and hitting across the border from a distance, he argues.
“Direct aviation support is becoming extremely problematic. It's deadly. Flying low, you can still get close to the enemy, but at high altitude you have to stay at a distance of 20-50 kilometers from the front,” says Søren Sørensen.
“If you fly low, you can fly some distance, but this limits your own targeting capabilities: you need to keep the target in sight yourself, and when you fly low, you don't have a view. So everything is getting complicated. There is no golden solution and there cannot be. It's just incredibly hard. And as for flying in the border zone, everyone on the ground will be aiming at you,” he explains.
Use for defensive purposes
In addition, the pilot must be able to make decisions literally in a split second. Søren Sørensen knows this firsthand as a former fighter pilot.
“I know what rocket fire is. To dodge, you need to have a really cool training. Events are developing just rapidly. Rockets from earth fly three times faster than the speed of sound, so you have a few seconds, and decisions have to be made in a fraction of a second,” says Sorensen.
“If you are going to take risks and act on the front line, then you need to enter and exit this zone as quickly as possible — and then it makes sense only if you know exactly where the enemy's air defense systems are located,” he continues.
“Otherwise, consider yourself flying blindfolded,” Sorensen added.
Therefore, according to the estimates of the former fighter pilot, the F-16 will be used primarily for defensive tasks - for example, to shoot down approaching drones or missiles.
“It will be possible to fly sorties near the front line and drop bombs, and fighter jets can also be used for defensive purposes — for example, against small drones. They fly relatively slowly, and with the help of the F-16 radar, they will not be difficult to find and shoot down. So it will be possible to hunt drones in air–to-air mode from your own territory,“ says Sorensen.
The psychological effect should not be underestimated either. In addition, Ukraine will have the opportunity to conduct pinpoint operations. Large-scale missions will become possible only when Kiev creates a larger air force, Seren Sorensen believes.
"Many planes will be needed for missions near the border. 10-20 pieces is an acceptable amount, but Ukraine does not have such opportunities and does not have such a quantity,” Sorensen concluded.
