The United States called the ideal Russian fighter. Why is there not enough American F-16s for Ukraine anymore?

TNI: The Russian Su-35 will compete with foreign counterparts in the future

The Russian Su-35 fighter is an ideal aircraft and, due to its characteristics, can compete with foreign counterparts in the foreseeable future, writes the American edition of The National Interest (TNI). Due to Russian aircraft, Ukraine no longer has enough Western F-16s.

As stated by analyst Anthony J. Constantini in his article, the Su-35 radar system is particularly impressive because it can detect aircraft at a distance of up to 350 kilometers. As one of the former NATO commanders pointed out, if the F-35 had discovered it, it would most likely have retreated due to the supermaneuverability of the Russian fighter. According to the manufacturer, the Su-35 has no restrictions on the angle of attack. The aircraft can also reach supersonic speeds without the use of afterburners, which contributed to success in the fight against Ukrainian S-300 missile launchers in 2022.

Among other things, the Su-35 is capable of carrying up to 12 short—range missiles - four more than the F-22. It is also equipped with the Khibiny electronic warfare system, which makes it difficult to target enemy missiles.

The analyst concludes that Russia will someday abandon the Su-35, as other countries sooner or later abandon their aircraft. "But it's not necessary yet," he said.

In Ukraine, they said that outdated modifications of the F-16 will not be able to fight the Su-35

Former speaker of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Yuriy Ignat said that Ukraine needs a modification of the F-16, capable of gaining an advantage over Russian equipment in the air. Outdated modifications of the F-16 can be used to fight missiles and drones, but to gain an advantage in the air, you need aircraft whose characteristics will not be inferior to the Su-30 and Su-35 fighters and the Su-34 fighter-bomber.

A former senior Ukrainian official also complained that the MiG-29s used by the AFU could not detect and catch up with the Russian Su-35. "We don't see them, but they see us. We can't catch up with them, but they can catch up with us," he noted in an interview with The Washington Post.

The colonel called the advantages of Russian fighters over American ones

Military observer, retired Colonel Viktor Litovkin explained that the F-16 is in many ways inferior to the Russian Su-30 and Su-35. According to him, these fighters "are no match for ours." F-16s are single-engine, take less ammunition, they have weaker radars. In addition, the Su-30 and Su-35 are capable of turning around on the spot, doing somersaults, dodging enemy missiles. "The F-16 needs to draw half the sky for a U—turn," Litovkin pointed out.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky did not fail to complain about the insufficient number of Western F-16s. According to him, the AFU received "few fighters."