During the past weekend’s G-7 summit in Japan, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the United States would support a joint international effort to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
However, White House National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan said that it is unclear whether the U.S. will provide any actual jets.
“I think given the numbers [of F-16s] that are currently available from the stocks of our European allies, and the fact that based on the money Congress has given us, there are so many other priorities for systems to give, it may be that we focus more on third party transfer, but the president has not made a final decision,” Sullivan said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Sullivan further said the F-16s would not be critical for an anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive.
What Role Will the F-16 Play?
The transfer of F-16 jets would raise questions about NATO’s role in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Russian officials warned on Monday, according to Reuters.
“There is no infrastructure for the operation of the F-16 in Ukraine and the needed number of pilots and maintenance personnel is not there either,” Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, said in remarks published on the embassy’s Telegram social messaging channel. “What will happen if the American fighters take off from NATO airfields, controlled by foreign ‘volunteers?'”
There are currently around 2,200 F-16s in active service around the world, accounting for 15% of the world’s fleet of fighter jets. Ukraine might receive older, upgraded models. While these would be capable aircraft, several issues remain, including how the jets would be maintained and where they could be based so that they are not targeted on the ground by Russian missiles.
Then there is the question of whether they will actually give Ukraine air superiority.
Could the Su-57 Hunt the F-16?
There has been speculation that if F-16 fighters are provided to Ukraine, Russia might counter with the Sukhoi Su-57, a fifth-generation fighter that has been largely absent from the skies during the conflict.
Retired Indian Air Force pilot Vijainder K Thakur, who flew the Jaguar attack aircraft, is among those who suggested the Su-57 would pose a significant risk to the F-16. The Russian fighter could be synchronized with ground radars, and in head-on interception mode, the Su-57 might have a significant first-launch advantage.
The stealthy Russian multirole fighter was developed to combine the functions of an attack plane with those of a fighter jet and to be able to engage and destroy various land, airborne, and maritime targets. The Su-57 has been noted for its use of composite materials and for an aerodynamic configuration that includes a pair of internal weapons bays, which help provide a low level of radar and infrared signature. The Su-57 is also capable of attaining supersonic cruising speed, and it is reportedly equipped with an advanced onboard computer that can assist the human operator during combat sorties.
Moscow has largely kept its Su-57s at a safe distance, as it likely has fewer than two dozen in active service and does not want to risk losing any in the conflict. It would be a major propaganda coup for Kyiv, as well as the West, were even a single Su-57 to be shot down. Yet the Kremlin might take such a risk and deploy a small number of Su-57 to specifically hunt the F-16s. Shooting one down would give Moscow significant bragging rights.
MORE: Is Russia’s Su-57 Felon Stealth Fighter a Total Bust?
MORE: Merkova: Israel Has A Super Tank
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
