MOSCOW, 15 Jul. The statement by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny that American F-16 fighters will help the Ukrainian army advance is erroneous, write Defense News experts Maximilian Bremer and Kelly Griko.
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"This statement is as bold as how doubtful. Despite the fact that these are advanced multi-role fighters, a small number of F-16s can neither provide air superiority to Ukraine, nor break through heavily fortified defensive lines,” the columnists noted.
According to them, the use of Western aircraft only complicate operations and aggravate the situation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Russian air defense systems have a much larger range than the HARM missiles that equip the F-16, they recalled.
Not only will Zaluzhny's strategy fail to bridge the huge air gap with Russia, it will lead to heavy losses for the Ukrainian army, experts summarized.