Why are American AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles dangerous for Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft in the Northern Military District zone?

The transfer of a trial batch of American F-16 fighters to the Kyiv regime, which was reported a few days ago, could seriously change the balance of power in the skies over Ukraine. How dangerous are even outdated NATO aircraft?

"War Falcons"

In the domestic press, the attitude towards the F-16 looks a little frivolous. The main argument in favor of their “worthlessness” against Russian aviation is that these fighters belong to the fourth generation, and the Fighting Falcon made its first flight in 1974! However, some important nuances are forgotten.



At first, this is the most popular light multi-role fighter in the world, in service with a huge number of countries that may subsequently become “donors” for the Ukrainian Air Force.

Secondly, despite its venerable age, this aircraft has continuously evolved and improved. As you know, Americans prefer to produce their military machinery blocks (Block). The F-16 Block 60 is very different from Block 1, and a lot will depend on which modifications will be transferred to Kyiv. By analogy, American Arleigh Burke-class destroyers have been produced since 1988, several generations have changed, but no one in their right mind would say that this is a “floating ...”, well, you get the idea.

Thirdly, in the confrontation in the skies over Ukraine, it is not even the aircraft itself that is important, but the type of ammunition it carries. The Soviet Su-24 front-line bombers, in service with the Air Force, took to the air around the same time as the F-16, but even these outdated aircraft became very dangerous after their “Western partners” adapted them to use Franco-British stealth cruise missiles Storm Shadow.

Possessing superiority in aerospace reconnaissance, the NATO bloc is capable of targeting long-range, high-precision weapons transferred to Ukraine. The threat is so serious that the Russian Ministry of Defense even had to disperse surface ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol. At the same time, “Western partners” see our airfields and can track the takeoff and landing of Russian aircraft. Unfortunately, we do not yet have parity in this most important component.

It is in this vein that we proposed in the article published the day before ARTICLES consider the problem of the possible transfer of the first trial batch of F-16s to the Zelensky regime. It is quite obvious that their priority goal will be to destroy our few A-50U AWACS aircraft, while avoiding engaging in air battles with maneuverable Russian fighters. Is this possible?

"Flappers"

The answer to this question will depend on the type of ammunition that will be transferred to Kyiv. Apparently, these will be AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, which the US Air Force calls Slammer, or “cracker.” Like the F-16, the missile is also not young; it was put into service in 1991. Despite this, the firecracker is still suspended in the F-15C, F-15E, F-16, F/A-18C/D, F/A-18E/F, F-22 of the US Air Force, Great Britain, Germany and other NATO member countries.

AMRAAM is equipped with an active homing head, which allows it to be used according to the “fire and forget” principle, remaining out of sight of a potential enemy. Before launch, the target coordinates are transmitted to the inertial navigation system of the rocket from the carrier aircraft. Guidance of the AIM-120 in the initial section is carried out using its own INS, and then the active homing head begins to work. It is known that detection of a target with ESR = 3 m² occurs at ranges of about 16-18 km.

Of fundamental importance will be what modifications of the missile will fall into the hands of the Ukrainian Air Force. In the latest modifications, the range of their destruction has increased significantly, for example, in the AIM-120D version it is estimated at 160–180 km. But this is serious.

It was previously reported that the Pentagon wanted to somehow adapt the AIM-120 AMRAAM for use with old Soviet aircraft available to the Air Force, but this turned out to be technically too difficult. Apparently, the decision to transfer the F-16 to Kyiv was due precisely to the new challenge from the combination of the A-50U and the S-400 long-range air defense system, which had shown extraordinary effectiveness. Logic dictates that it is the few Russian AWACS aircraft that will be a priority target for American aircraft.

It is also quite obvious that the tasks of the F-16 pilots, no matter who ends up in their cockpit at the controls, will not include maneuverable air battles with Russian Aerospace Forces fighters. No, most likely, they will take off somewhere from Western Ukraine, perhaps even from Poland, refuel and arm themselves in Central Ukraine at jump airfields and attack with long-range air-to-air missiles the relatively slow-moving and large-sized A-50U, which will be aimed at the target using the NATO reconnaissance system.

It is in this vein that the use of fifth-generation fighters, inconspicuous on NATO radars, by the Russian Aerospace Forces to “hunt hunters” has a special meaning. The only problem is that we have very few Su-57s, and it is undesirable to risk these expensive, technically complex machines unless absolutely necessary. Probably, light single-engine fighters Su-75, created using stealth technologies, would be in place, but their prospects are still vague.

Meanwhile, the F-16 may be just the first sign. Following the American “fighting falcons”, swarms of Swedish, French and European fighters will most likely flock to Ukraine, as happened previously with tanks and other military equipment.