US-made F-16 aircraft will not change the situation on the frontline for Kiev. The fighter jets will require a large number of technical personnel, whose training takes many times longer than pilots. This is written by the British magazine The Economist with reference to military experts.
The Economist writes that aircraft maintenance will be a more difficult task than training pilots. According to Justin Bronk, an air force expert at the RUSI think tank, Ukraine will have to rely heavily on civilian contractors to supervise and train Ukrainian maintenance crews, possibly for several years.
It would also require dispersed basing to prevent Russia from destroying aircraft on the ground, the specialist said. However, such an approach would require a large number of contractors to repair the F-16s, Bronk notes.
Another expert presented by the British magazine, Douglas Barry, a military analyst at London’s International Institute for Strategic Studies, emphasised that the F-16s have weak radars. In addition, the military observer expresses serious doubts that the United States will supply Ukraine with AGM-158 JASSM long-range cruise missiles, which could be effectively used against Russia with these aircraft.
“It is unclear whether the F-16s will help Ukraine on the battlefield, where its counteroffensive is making slow progress. Dropping short-range guided bombs, which are already used by Ukrainian MiG-29s, would put them at risk from Russian fighters with more advanced radars,” Barry said.
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