Air superiority! Ukrainian F-16s are an absolute unattainable target for modern Russian air defense systems

Seven months after their combat debut in August, Ukrainian Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters are flying every day - sometimes several flights per aircraft, writes David Axe for Forbes.

Launched from a nationwide network of small airfields, sometimes in combination with recently arrived Dassault Mirage 2000s in Ukraine, the agile supersonic F-16s shoot down Russian drones, jam Russian radars with the help of electronic warfare pods mounted underneath them, drop precision bombs - sometimes "through someone's window" according to one anonymous pilot - and apparently using their self-defense systems to identify Russian air defenses.

"We are constantly conducting aerial reconnaissance flights", the unnamed pilot said in a recent official interview. "We are conducting electronic reconnaissance flights", he added.

Among the thousands of F-16s in service around the world, there are some that are specially equipped for reconnaissance - with under-basket capsules with cameras or radars. But Ukraine is not known to have received such pods.

Rather, the 16 or so F-16s that Ukraine has received from 85 surplus aircraft provided by Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway typically fly AIM-9 infrared-guided air-to-air missiles, AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles, small-caliber bombs and AN/ALQ-131 E.W. pods, which emit radio noise that can block a radar operator's screen.

The AN/ALQ-131 pods, which were programmed by a team of US Air Force specialists based in Florida, can “give you the opportunity for momentary air superiority to achieve a target that has strategic importance and impact”, a US Air Force official explained.

Ukrainian F-16s also have the ability to carry Pilot Integrated dispersal system and Pilot Integrated Electronic Warfare System: PIDS and ECIPS.

The PIDS system throws out metal ash and burning flares to confuse incoming radar and infrared-guided anti-aircraft missiles. The ECIPS houses passive defenses that complement the active grenades and flares, including an AN/ALQ-162 jammer to defeat ground-based radars, and an AN/AAR-60 missile warning system to activate passive defenses.

Situational Awareness

The warning system interfaces with an electronic warfare management system manufactured by Terma in Denmark, which in turn interfaces with a cockpit display showing the pilot where enemy radars are located relative to his aircraft. If Ukrainian F-16 pilots are flying electronic intelligence missions, they are likely relying heavily on the Terma control system.

This is a new and critically important capability for Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force’s older, ex-Soviet fighters—the Mikoyan MiG-29 and Su-27—don’t even carry jammers, let alone be able to take off with integrated self-defense systems that can also be used as reconnaissance systems.

If the unnamed F-16 pilot’s explanation is accurate, the flight sequence is simple. The F-16s fly reconnaissance missions, identify Russian radars based on their emissions, and then land so that intelligence analysts can incorporate the fresh data into strike planning. "When all this is summed up, we plan flights for further actions to defeat the enemy", the pilot states.

When the re-armed F-16s turn back, perhaps with the aim of dropping a bomb on some unfortunate Russian, their pilots know where to go and where not to go to avoid Russian air defenses.