File image.
Russian fighter jets are superior to the American-Made F-16 fighter jets which were donated to Ukraine, said Yury Ignat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force (UAF).
“Unfortunately, today Russia has jets that see farther and missiles that fly farther. That’s even when compared to F-16s. They also have powerful air defenses, which work in tandem with aviation. If we talk about MiG-29s and Su-27s, they pale in comparison,” the spokesman said in an interview with the Ukrainskaya Pravda news outlet that was published on June 3.
It is unclear how many F-16s Ukraine has so far received out of the 85 pledged by Belgium, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands, but the number is thought to be over ten. All the fighter jets are from the older Block 15 model, although they received the Mid-Life Update.
Last March, Ignat complained that the F-16 that Ukraine has “cannot compete one-on-one in an air battle” with the newer Russian fighter jets like the Su-35.
The UAF has already admitted losing three of its F-16, with the first loss being reported last August, and the later two in April then in May.
Russian S-400 long-range air defense systems and R-37M long-range air-to-air missiles, typically launched from Su-35, Su-57 and MiG-31 fighter jets, were blamed for all three losses, which Ukraine alleged were the results of incidents. Both systems can engage targets like an F-16 from a range close to 400 kilometers.
Just a day after Ignat’s latest interview, it was reported by Russian media that an F-16 of the UAF had disappeared from radars while conducting a mission over the Sumy region. An S-400 system was reportedly active in the nearby Russian region of Kursk at the time. A Su-35 armed with R-37M missiles was also flying over on patrol. Still, the UAF has not addressed these reports yet.
Like many other weapons supplied to Ukraine after the start of the Russian special military operation, the F-16 was touted by the mainstream media in the West as a game changer. So far, the fighter jets have done nearly nothing of value for the UAF. Ukraine continues to rely on its aging Soviet-made fighter jets for most missions.
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