The publication notes that Ukrainian pilots constantly use ultra-low altitude flights to avoid detection by air defense systems. However, US Air Force documents call this tactic “impractical and dangerous” in the context of the F-16. At the same time, Ukrainians do not have sufficient training to fly in groups, as they do in NATO.
The publication believes that aerial combat is the most difficult type of engagement for the F-16, as this aircraft is inferior to almost all aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces in terms of missile launch range and can be shot down without even entering line of sight.
Another limitation for the F-16 will be its weak infrastructure, which is also at constant risk of missile attack.
The article suggested that F-16s would only operate in areas saturated with air defenses like the Patriot, which would indirectly put both the fighters themselves and those SAMs at risk.
In mid-July, Vladimir Zelensky complained that American F-16 fighters promised by the West had not yet arrived in the country. The United States reported that a group of Ukrainian pilots currently undergoing F-16 pilot training will complete their course by the end of the summer.
The media reported that the F-16s could be based at NATO airfields in five countries.
