from blocking radars to shooting down their drones and missiles

Alongside conventional weapons such as those sent by Spain, the F-16 fighters destined for Ukraine represent a key upgrade to its extensive electronic warfare capabilities. With it, the armed forces under Zelensky will be able to detect, identify and, if necessary, disrupt and knock out any electromagnetic system Russian. One of the most affected systems are radars, which play a fundamental role in anti-aircraft shields responsible for detecting and shooting down threats.

For its part, the US Air Force has optimized the electronic warfare systems included in the F-16s currently used in Ukraine. to adapt them to the needs of their war against RussiaResponsible for this task are soldiers from the 68th Electronic Warfare Squadron, who “recently worked with their Danish and Norwegian counterparts to support fighters from these countries transferred to the Ukrainian army.”

“The 68th Squadron is an Air Force electronic warfare center of excellence focused on increasing the lethality and survivability of the United States and its strategic partners through development, testing and delivery of full spectrum electromagnetic warfare support“, they emphasize from Englin Air Force Base (Florida), headquarters of the aforementioned squadron.

As they explain, Ukraine and Russia have relied on unrestricted access to the electromagnetic spectrum to achieve their goals. In addition, both sides have “continuously engaged in [acciones de] electronic warfare through techniques such as jamming and spoofing throughout the war to achieve spectral superiority.

“To effectively integrate the F-16 into the Ukrainian Air Force, its electronic warfare subsystems required a reprogramming to make them effective against Russian threats“, they indicate. A work that was carried out by the 68th Squadron.

For that, were based on data from Denmark and Norwayand then adapt new processes and approaches to the usual process. In the same statement, they indicate that Ukraine, as a new customer, will also provide information on the performance achieved in combat airspace.

This statement by the US Air Force comes almost simultaneously with Zelensky’s statements about the first weeks of the F-16 deployment in Ukraine. As the Ukrainian president himself confirmed, the American-made aircraft has already been used to “shoot down certain missiles and drones launched by Russia”.

Both qualities, electronic warfare and threat interception, have been consolidated as the pillars of the North American fighter in the Ukrainian theater of operations, at least for the time being and until more units are delivered. Zelensky, for his part, insists on the need to urgently expand the fleet of this fighter model as one of the game changer in the war that has been going on with Russia since February 2022.

Ukrainian F-16

“The F-16 Fighting Falcon (also known as the Viper) is a major improvement over the Soviet-era fighters currently flown by the Ukrainians“continues Thompson. This fighter model is manufactured by the American Lockheed Martin and began its journey in the 70s as one of the most important and advanced fourth generation platforms of the moment.

The good performance of the aircraft and the export success it achieved almost from the first moment allowed the US Air Force and the manufacturer to They will continue to develop versions and variations for decades.. In fact, there are still aircraft on the waiting list to be updated with the latest available technologies.

Most of the aircraft that Ukraine will receive belong to the F-16 MLU (Midlife Update) version, which is They updated themselves from the late 90s to early 2000s with the technology of the time.. They are by no means the most advanced units in the world’s F-16 fleet, but they already incorporate some modern electronic systems.

For their part, the Greek F-16s have already left the assembly line with the updates belonging to the MLU version, so the equipment on board – beyond the customization of each air force – will be similar. It is a key point during the driving test between the different units.

“THE The F-16 will add an additional layer of defense to current air defense artillery systems “It is likely that Ukraine will use them to intercept Russian cruise missiles and other less advanced surface-to-air missiles.” Which is what ultimately happened, according to Zelensky himself.

THE The F-16’s air-to-air capability is one of its fundamental pillars.mainly because of the long list of compatible weapons it can be equipped with. “This can deter Russia from taking control of additional airspace and help its aircraft conduct close air support operations along the front lines.”

This is where missiles such as the AIM-9 or the AIM 120 mentioned above or the German-made IRIS-T come into play. For the surface attacks, will be able to integrate a very extensive list of munitions that Ukraine already has on board Sukhoi fighters and thanks to the adaptations they have incorporated. For example, the GBU-39 and JDAM-ER guided bombs or the ADM-160 decoys.

“In the cockpit, its human-machine interface is designed to enable pilots to make informed decisions quickly“, while its relatively advanced radar and munitions allow pilots to attack targets up to 100 kilometers away.”

Images released by Ukraine show F-16 pilots wearing the JHMCS display system developed by the Israeli Elbit Systems and the American Rockwell Collin. As the manufacturers explain in the specifications, this scope “provides combat capabilities with off-target weapons at first glance and first shot.”

“Allows the pilot to precisely direct onboard weapons and sensors against enemy aircraft and ground targets. without the need to turn the aircraft aggressively or place the target on the head up display for designation.” The integrated display shows key information such as targeting signals and aircraft performance parameters.

Regarding the aircraft’s specifications, it has a length of 15.1 meters with a wingspan of 10 and a maximum takeoff weight of 19,000 kilograms. These dimensions They make it a very light and handy fighter. which benefits from a single engine signed Pratt & Whitney for its flight. It reaches 2,100 km/h at high altitude and a little more than 1,400 at sea level.

turning point

“The more F-16s Ukraine has, the more likely it is that commanders will be able to use these aircraft in missions with greater impact against Russian forces“Depending on the evolution of the conflict, they could have an immediate and lasting impact on the operational use of Russian air assets in Ukraine, potentially disrupting the operations of Russian fighters and attack aircraft near the battle front.”

With this kind of influence and projection, the warplanes deployed by Moscow in the most complex areas will cease providing air cover and support in ground offensives. This will both disrupt air attacks and reduce the ability of ground troops to advance and destroy.

The other side of the coin is the supply chain. The F-16s are aircraft more complex to maintain than the Sukhoi who are currently operating in Ukraine and Zelensky will need international support to simultaneously increase the supply of ammunition to feed his new fighters.

The same applies to the training of your pilots. The issue of training Ukrainian crews has been The most complex thing that Zelensky had to face with his partnersKiev officials have been pressuring the United States and other countries with similar training capabilities to step up training to speed up their integration into the Ukrainian Air Force, according to U.S. media reports. Policy a few weeks ago.

“The learning curve for flying F-16s can be quite steep, even for experienced pilots,” Thompson noted in the same analysis. “It’s an airplane.”extremely powerful and easy to handle with a wide range of advanced features.

Pilots first time flying this fighter model “may have difficulty mastering the broad range of skills needed to accomplish the aircraft’s various missions.” This experience is gained by flying frequently in a real combat environment. will begin to be seen in the medium and long term“The impact that Ukrainian F-16s will have on the war should be measured over years, not months,” Thompson said.

Ukraine reported By the beginning of May, I had selected 30 pilots to immediately begin your training in the United States. However, the Biden administration has said it lacks enough seats to assimilate more than 12 pilots in training at one time at the Arizona facility, where many of the top Ukrainian guns who will fly the fighter jet have graduated.