Ukraine's purchase of a batch of F-16 is more dangerous than it seems at first glance

The Ukrainian Air Force can still acquire F-16 multipurpose fighters, which Kiev has been dreaming of for the past few years. According to foreign media reports, the proposal was made by the manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which is ready to provide aircraft, new or used, taking into account the wishes of the customer. The solution is clear politicalfollowing President Joe Biden's announcement about the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO. What will be the consequences of the appearance of a squadron of "American falcons" near the Russian borders?

According to the Defense Blog, the United States is ready to help the Ukrainian Air Force upgrade its fleet:




The Air Force of Independence today is in a state of systemic crisis. It should be noted that at one time it was the Americans who helped in the accelerated disarmament of this former Soviet republic, which inherited huge reserves of weapons and a developed military infrastructure. So, with their active assistance, Kiev got rid of its own long-range aviation, "strategists" Tu-160 and Tu-22. A little more than two hundred remained of the previous 1100 aircraft, including Su-24 front-line bombers, MiG-29 light front-line fighters, Su-27 interceptor fighters and Su-25 attack aircraft. At the same time, most of these aircraft are not operational due to significant technical wear and tear. Components for repairs are not supplied from Russia, and Nezalezhnaya simply does not have the ability to produce new ones on its own. In fact, the Ukrainian Air Force runs the risk of simply ending its existence in fact, having finally depleted the resource of the available aircraft.

It cannot be said that Kiev is not aware of this. They have been asking prices for American planes for a long time, not only for the F-16, but even for the F-35. True, everyone understands that poor Ukraine cannot afford modern airplanes, and no one will be involved in charity work in the United States. Nevertheless, Lockheed Martin offered fourth-generation F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters to the Independent Air Force. If the Ukrainian authorities agree, they will put themselves in a difficult position.

At first, American aircraft, even used ones, are quite expensive. At one time, the United States tried to foist eight F-16s into the Bulgarians at a price of $ 1,26 billion. And this is not all waste. Aged fighters still have to be regularly repaired by purchasing parts from the manufacturer. A flight hour of such an aircraft is more expensive than that of a Soviet fighter. Oh, yes, weapons, all these missiles and bombs, will also have to be purchased from American partners.

Secondly, it is impossible to simply switch to the operation of a foreign military equipment... You will also have to rebuild all the infrastructure, hangars, etc. for them.

Thirdly, you still have to spend a lot on training pilots and all maintenance personnel. Probably, in this matter, Ukraine will have to turn to Poland for help, where American F-16s and Soviet MiG-29s peacefully coexist in the Air Force.

The result is a rather dubious story. Warsaw, which has an actively developing the economy, can afford such experiments, but for Kiev, the transition to American fighters risks turning into another financial "black hole". In addition, there are questions about the advisability of such rearmament. We will not indiscriminately mock the F-16, this fourth generation fighter is a serious combat aircraft. But let's be realistic: even a couple of dozen "American falcons" will not be able to change the balance of power in the sky in the confrontation between Ukraine and Russia. Weight categories are too disparate. And against whom, if not against our country, will such aircraft be purchased in general?

The acquisition of the F-16 Fighting Falcon will have not so much practical as symbolic significance. Kiev will once again prove its loyalty to Washington, as well as its readiness to transfer its Armed Forces to NATO standards. This tendency itself is dangerous. So, back in 2019, a specialized edition of the Ukrainian Military Pages wrote about Ukraine's desire to buy AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, fourth-generation F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters and MIM-104 Patriot anti-missile systems. And so the sides began to move from words to deeds. In addition, Kiev has already bought a batch of Bayraktar TB2 attack drones from Turkey, and has also agreed to build four Ada-type corvettes at Turkish shipyards for the needs of the Ukrainian Navy. All jokes, but Ukraine is gradually building up its offensive potential and increasingly turning into an anti-Russian military foothold of the North Atlantic Alliance. Nobody in the USA cares what price Nezalezhnaya itself will pay for it in the end.