Ukraine's strategy to shield incoming F‑16s from Russian forces

The long-awaited F-16 fighters will soon be delivered to Ukraine. With the transfer of weapons to the front, there may be doubts about whether the defending army can protect the aircraft from the Russians. Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Ilya Yevlash reveals how Ukrainians will hide F-16s from the threat.

Experts and military analysts believe the F-16 fighters can change the course of the war in Ukraine. These machines are valuable at the front not only because of their high manoeuvrability, exceptional speed, and range but also because they come equipped with a deadly arsenal for the Russians, including missiles and air bombs.

In Ukraine, in recent days, the first signals suggesting that the defender's army will soon have F-16s at their disposal have already started to appear, yet the fighters are still not on the front. The first machine transfer is expected to occur later this summer. A key aspect that Ukrainians must take care of is properly protecting aircraft from the enemy. So, how does Kyiv plan to defend these Western machines that the Russians will be hunting down? Ilya Yevlash, whose words are quoted by the Ukrainian Front profile on the X platform, holds the answer to this question.

– F-16s will be based in underground bunkers and protected hangars in order to protect them from Russian strikes – reveals Yevlash. He added that the planes would not be grouped in a single location. F-16s will be dispersed across different airports, and decoys will be used to confuse the enemy. Naturally, specific details regarding the locations of the fighters were not disclosed.

It is known that Ukraine will employ a common frontline tactic – setting up decoy aircraft to divert (valuable) enemy ordnance towards these fake planes. This tactic also serves to sow confusion amongst the enemy regarding their knowledge of the number of F-16s in Ukraine. Hence, the Russians cannot be entirely sure how many fighters Kyiv has in its arsenal – and how many were real and decoys in the event of destruction.

Let's note the F-16 reaches a top speed of 2 Mach, which is over 2,000 kilometres per hour. Additionally, their exceptional agility allows them to evade enemy fire, thus increasing pilot survival rates.

The American fighters are primarily equipped with the 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon and can also carry weapons such as AIM-9 or AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles. Under the F-16's fuselage, additional fuel tanks can also be attached, extending the fighter's range from approximately 3,200 to 4,200 kilometres.