Despite being touted as the most advanced fighter jets in the Ukrainian military inventory, the F-16s provided to Kyiv by its Western partners are outdated models, meaning they are not as capable as Russia’s top combat aircraft.
This is according to retired US Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Davis, who asserts that the F-16s have “some issues with range and vulnerability” due to their age.
In August 2023, the US approved the transfer of dozens of F-16s operated by the Dutch and Danish air forces. Norway also pledged to send six aircraft from its own inventory.
The problem with these donations is that they are likely the oldest and most obsolete F-16s from the three countries, resulting in limited capabilities and potentially weaker radar systems.
In contrast, Davis noted that Russia has “some pretty advanced aircraft,” such as the Su-35S, Su-30SM, and the MiG-31, which all pose a significant threat to Kyiv’s F-16s.
“Even the best systems we can put on those [old F-16s] will still not make them superior to some of the Russian best aircraft,” the former general told Business Insider.
‘Not a Lot of Life Left’
Earlier this year, the Ukrainian Army announced that one of its newly delivered F-16s crashed while repelling a Russian air strike, killing the pilot.
Kyiv dismissed claims that the crash was due to a Russian missile, leaving mechanical failure and pilot error as the likely causes.
Following the fatal incident, The Wall Street Journal pointed out that the Ukrainian F-16s are all secondhand, with “decades of flying time already.”
Michael Bohnert, an air warfare expert at RAND Corporation, also argued that the warplanes do not have much life left, but this does not mean they are ineffective.
“As planes get older, they do get more problems,” he warned.
To upgrade the capabilities of the Ukrainian F-16s, the US revealed that it has agreed to arm them with advanced weapons and sophisticated counter-electronic warfare capabilities.
The Netherlands has also committed $89 million in air-to-air missiles to enhance the lethality of the US-made aircraft.
“The bottom line is, you can give the F-16s the maximum capability for munitions and electronic warfare capabilities, they’re going to still be somewhat vulnerable to ground defense and some of the most advanced fighters from Russia,” Davis cautioned.