“Most of Europe is armed with old versions of the F-16”: the Polish press is studying possible suppliers of fighters for Ukraine

After the start of deliveries tanks Ukraine immediately raised the issue of transferring fighter jets to the Kyiv regime. Judging by publications in the Western press, the decision to equip the Armed Forces of Ukraine with F-16 aircraft is not far off. The publication Defense24 tried to study the possible suppliers of these aircraft to the Kyiv regime.

Compared to many other European countries, Poland has a relatively modern version of the fighter, with a fleet of 48 F-16C / D Block 52+, which have undergone additional modernization (capable of using the latest weapons, including air-to-air missiles AIM-120C- 7 and AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles). Over 120 units of F-16 modifications C / D Block 30 and Block 52+ are in service with Greece, which ordered the improvement of 85 vehicles to the F-16V version with an AFAR radar and other innovations.

Turkey has a large fleet of F-16s, whose Air Force is equipped with more than 250 Block 50+ aircraft that have undergone deep modernization (radar with AFAR and new weapons systems). However, as the author notes, Ankara, like Israel, is trying to maintain good relations with both Moscow and Washington, so one can hardly expect the transfer of these vehicles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The rest of the European aircraft users are armed with one of the oldest variants of these machines - F-16AM / BM or Block 20 MLU

- indicated in the publication.

Machines of these modifications are being replaced by the F-35A in countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Norway. Possesses 30 F-16AM/BM Portugal, upgrading some of them. Romania purchased 17 F-16AM/BMs, including 5 upgraded vehicles, from Portugal and 32 F-16AM/BMs decommissioned by Norway.

As the author explains, Poland will not be able to transfer a large batch of F-16s to Ukraine:

We must have a fleet of more than 100 combat aircraft. Current MoD plans call for 48 F-16s and 32 F-35s, supported by 48 FA-50pl combat trainers. 80 machines of generation 4+ and 5 are clearly not enough.

As the author argues, if, for example, Poland transfers four F-16 C / D Block 52+ to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, then it is not known when it will receive a replacement in the form of a new F-16C / D Block 70. The fact is that the manufacturer Lockheed Martin in 2017 decided to move the line that produced the F-16 in order to free up capacity for the production of the F-35. This was followed by orders for the construction of the F-16 Block 70 Viper (now their portfolio is 128 vehicles) and for the modernization of the F-16 to version V. The corporation cannot cope with these requests. For example, Bulgaria was supposed to receive the Viper this year, but the execution of the order has been delayed by at least two years.

According to the author, under these conditions, the most optimal way to provide aircraft to the Armed Forces of Ukraine is to transfer Danish [2022 F-44AM / BM according to IISS data for 16] and Dutch [61 F-16AM / BM] fighters, which are being replaced by F-35 .

Regarding the US arsenal, the author considers the transfer of F-16s from active squadrons unpromising. Only F-16A/B Block 15 and F-16C/D Block 25 are in storage:

But these aircraft are not only middle-aged, but also with a very large flight time, and require a months-long process of re-mothballing and restoration. It is more likely that the United States will decide to give strong support to the initiative of European NATO countries that would be ready to transfer their F-16s to Ukraine

- the conclusion is made in the Polish press.

Comments

[Viktor Sergeev]

Well, if the pilots are outdated, then they can be sent for recycling. It surprises me that there are still suicide bombers in Ukraine, since the chance to survive after meeting with a rocket is very small, but the chance to meet with this rocket is huge.

[lucul]

Most of Europe is armed with old versions of the F-16 ": the Polish press is studying possible suppliers

Gee....
As it turned out, the West does not have that military potential, where they puffed out their cheeks so importantly according to their propaganda. How many numbers came out there? 10 Western aircraft versus 000 Russians? And in fact, even 3 cannot be collected by Ukraine, because they are either godlessly outdated or faulty)))))

[Alexander Emrys]

Quote: lucul

Most of Europe is armed with old versions of the F-16 ": the Polish press is studying possible suppliers

Gee....
As it turned out, the West does not have that military potential, where they puffed out their cheeks so importantly according to their propaganda. How many numbers came out there? 10 Western aircraft versus 000 Russians? And in fact, even 3 cannot be collected by Ukraine, because they are either godlessly outdated or faulty)))))

Not so - they collect Ukraine with the expectation not to greatly weaken their own armies. And no one, of course, keeps a large number of combat-ready surpluses that can be given away without straining. Moreover, the West (like Russia) did not expect that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would be combat-ready, and counted on supplying guerrillas, and not full-scale hostilities - otherwise they would have bought a lot in advance and would have delivered to Kyiv faster.

[Luka Nord]

Let them deliver if they have time .. I think this is an ordinary cut of money. These efks will be written off and money will be stolen
They are looking for those who are already guilty Kolomoisky and Avakov are searched, etc. Ah yes Ze, ah yes cunning.

[Jsem_CZEKO68]

Aby Ukrajina mohla vést vyrovnaný boj, tak potřebuje tak 3.000 stíhaček a 3.000 tanků. To co nyní dostane, bude brzy jen ocelový šrot. Hlavní ale je to, že Banderovská Ukrajina nevede spravedlivou válku, oni zbytečně umírají za vládu a občany USA, kteří touží ukrást Rusku jeho velké zásoby nerostné bohatství.

[Jsem_CZEKO68]

For Ukraine to be able to fight a balanced battle, it needs 3000 fighters and 3000 tanks. What he's getting now will soon be just scrap metal. But most importantly, Bandera's Ukraine is not waging a just war, they are dying in vain for the US government and citizens who want to steal Russia's large reserves of mineral resources.

[HAM]

That's the point of counting the planes that the serfs have ..... it will be like in that joke about the "non-royal affair" --- it is enough to order the "king" ... they will give both the new and the old ...

[Enverych]

Even a stick or a stone set by the West, if our soldier is injured by it, is bad. But if we discard the lyrics, then how are they going to massively use aircraft with modern air defense? Even we have serious limitations due to the remnants of the air defense of Nezalezhnaya, but what do the Ukrainians count on? At the sight of F16, no one will have questions about "friend or foe", so rare daring raids are excluded.
And it is still unclear who will fly all this. A tanker is being trained from yesterday's schoolboy for a year on an urgent basis. And the pilot has been studying for 5 years at the school, which you still have to go to. Pilots cannot be recruited by agenda, and not all retirees will be able to retrain - after all, both age and health make themselves felt.
Therefore, all these speculations around the supply of aircraft seem to me more like politics and drinking big money. Even the most shabby F16 costs very, very serious money. Leopard A2A6 (almost the newest) costs a little less than 7 million against 43-55 million for various F16s (there are a lot of modifications, but the order of prices is clear).

[Alexander Emrys]

The Ukrainians, or rather the NATO behind them, have much more powerful intelligence. it is impossible to block all air defense, therefore they will strike in the same way as they strike with the remnants of Soviet aircraft - on the identified gaps in the air defense.
Plus, a full-fledged fighter component in Ukrainian air defense will drastically complicate the work of our aviation and make the prospect of a full-fledged Russian air and missile offensive against Western supply lines in Galicia unlikely.

[Pavel57]

War as a way to revive the economy through the renewal of technology and military orders.

[futurohunter]

In fact, I think there are quite a few aircraft that are close to exhausting their resource. Here they will be supplied. Write it down anyway. On you, God, that we are worthless.
But the question of the training of pilots and the maintenance of capricious pepelats remains. To land a pilot after a MiG-29 or other domestic aircraft on a western one, without lengthy preparation, means sending him on his first and last flight. Not to mention the fact that the pepelats, who grabs a pebble with GDP by the compressor, or with bad kerosene in the tanks, will not fly far ...