By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News
When Ukrainian pilots begin flying F-16 fighter jets into combat later this year, there will be a price on their heads.
According to Al Jazeera, Russian oil equipment company Fores will pay about $170,000 to the first pilot who shoots down one of the US-made jets. Russia is also expected to target the F-16s’ bases with supersonic missiles.
“A certain number of aircraft will be stored at secure air bases outside of Ukraine so that they are not targeted here,” Ukrainian Air Force commander Serhii Holubtsov told US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Last year, Russia’s President Vladimir warned NATO countries against hosting warplanes used by Ukraine.
“If they are stationed at air bases outside the Ukrainian borders and used in combat, we will have to see how and where to strike the assets used in combat against us,” Putin said. “It poses a serious danger of NATO being drawn further into the conflict.”
Later this summer, Ukraine is expected to receive the first of 85 F-16s from the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and Denmark. Those countries can afford to be generous – their air forces have started to get the more advanced F-35 from the US.
For the last six months, Ukrainian pilots have been training on the F-16 in the US, Denmark and Romania. In an interview with The Times of London this week, the head of Ukraine’s arms procurement commission expressed strong dissatisfaction over the pace of the training.
But Western officials reportedly are confident that they will have enough Ukrainian pilots to fly the planes once the F-16s arrive. And the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Charles Brown, has said maintenance personnel also must be in place before the planes can become operational.
The planes themselves were built by Lockheed Martin during the 1980s, but have been upgraded several times. They could play a number of roles in the fighting, such as attacking air defenses and supply lines. But Ukraine seems to be counting on them to protect border areas from Russian KAB glide bombs.
Former Commanding General, Army Futures Command, Gen. John Murray
Russia has been using its Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35 to launch thousands of those weapons from as far as 40 miles away, well out of the range of Ukrainian air defenses. Glide bombs are heavy bombs built in the Soviet-era but now equipped with precision guidance systems.
The thinking is that the F-16s, equipped with the AIM-120 air-to-air missile, could either shoot down the attack planes or force them out of range. Ukraine’s current fighters – most of them MiG-29s and Su-27s built for the old Soviet air force – are said to lack the modern radar and missiles to do the job.
Meanwhile, Ukraine also will be getting an undetermined number of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets from France. President Emmanuel Macron made the offer to Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky when the two met in Paris this month.
The Mirage 2000-5 is a fourth-generation fighter jet that is the oldest aircraft flown by the French air force. It’s been in service for almost 25 years and is scheduled to be replaced by the Rafale in 2030.
France also will train Ukrainian pilots to fly the Mirage, which is made by Dassault. Macron said that should take five to six months, meaning they could be ready by the end of the year.
