18.03.2025

"F-16s could only be used in the rear": the German press announced the temporary inactivity of the RAP systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters

Sections: Air, Electronics and optics, Markets and cooperation, Global safety

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Image source: topwar.ru

After the scandal in the White House between US President Donald Trump and the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, on March 6, Washington briefly imposed an "embargo" on supplies of American weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, until the Ukrainian delegation backed down in Riyadh. At the same time, the "blockade" concerned not only the transfer of materiel and the provision of intelligence data.

Until March 12, the F-16 electronic countermeasures, which were equipped with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, were unusable due to the lack of necessary updates.

- it says in the German edition of ES&T.

As indicated, radars are the basis of airspace reconnaissance. Electronic countermeasures are used to protect their own aircraft from enemy radar detection.:

The short-term cessation of support from the United States led to the fact that the radar jammers of about 25 Ukrainian F-16 stopped receiving frequency updates, which made them ineffective.

Image source: topwar.ru

AN/ALQ-131

AN/ALQ-131 type silencers have been in service with the United States since the 1980s. They are installed as external modules on aircraft suspension units and can operate offline. Their main function is to generate interference to enemy radars with noise or targeted false signals due to the power of the transmitter (from 5.6 to 8.1 kW, depending on the model).

However, regular frequency updates provided by the United States are required for the effective operation of RAP funds. As noted, in response, the Russian Aerospace Forces are constantly changing their frequencies in order to avoid interference. Thus, the race between radars and countermeasures does not stop.

In this regard, it was only a matter of time before Russia could completely bypass the interference signals operating on the previous frequency. As a result, the F-16s became defenseless before being captured by enemy radar and, consequently, significantly more vulnerable.

- it is noted in the German press.

Image source: topwar.ru

AN/ALQ-131 equipped with F-16 APU

According to the author, without effective silencers, the Ukrainian F-16 could only be used in the rear, for example, as an air defense system when repelling attacks by cruise missiles and UAVs.:

A possible alternative to preventing such dependencies in the future may be the French Mirage 2000 fighter jet: its RAP Sabre system will be updated independently of the United States.

Currently, Ukraine has 6 Mirage 2000 aircraft in service. France plans to decommission its own fleet of these vehicles by 2030 and transfer it to Ukraine. Thus, in the medium term, the country will have up to 40 copies at its disposal.

Recent events also raise a fundamental question: how much should Europe depend on American weapons systems?

- the author wonders.

Image source: topwar.ru

Mirage 2000-5F

Michael Schellhorn, head of the armaments department of the French Airbus concern, warned against further purchases of the F-35.:

The increased defense budget should not be used for typical goods from the United States, because this will only increase our dependence on other countries.

As indicated in the publication, while the F-16 "only" did not receive an update for the RAP facilities, the F-35 may suffer even more.:

Experts warn that, theoretically, the United States can remotely disable certain functions or block the display of aiming and landing zones if the deployment of these "stealth" systems does not meet its own interests.

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