U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that while Ukraine has recaptured half the territory that Russia initially seized in its invasion, Kyiv faced "a very hard fight" to win back more.
F16’s won’t give Ukraine much of an advantage until sufficient numbers of pilots are a trained. There are two weapons that could immediately change the battlefield landscape. GLSDB’s and ATACM’s are long range precision bombs that would allow Ukraine to target Russian supply lines and ammunition stores far behind the front lines, including into Crimea. They both have backup inertial guidance systems in order to mitigate GPS jamming… which is a big problem for their current guided munitions.
The problem with F-16’s is that when they’re inevitably shot down, the videos will be all over the net and it will look awful from a spend perspective.
Give em F-16s, Blinken! They are designed to kill MiGs, and will provide much needed air support!
F16’s won’t give Ukraine much of an advantage until sufficient numbers of pilots are a trained. There are two weapons that could immediately change the battlefield landscape. GLSDB’s and ATACM’s are long range precision bombs that would allow Ukraine to target Russian supply lines and ammunition stores far behind the front lines, including into Crimea. They both have backup inertial guidance systems in order to mitigate GPS jamming… which is a big problem for their current guided munitions.
And helis still on the pad. Much easier than trying to take them out with MANPADS teams or risking valuable AA systems near the front line.
The problem with F-16’s is that when they’re inevitably shot down, the videos will be all over the net and it will look awful from a spend perspective.