Press
Russia is reacting to NATO plans to deliver F-16 jets to Ukraine. NATO bases are also set to become targets for Putin’s attacks in the Ukraine war.
Moscow – After the NATOAfter members of the European Parliament gave Kiev the green light to use long-range weapons against Russian territory, Moscow seems to want to provoke the West further. A member of the Russian parliament announced that the Kremlin would also attack NATO bases if the F-16 jets that are to be delivered to Ukraine were to be found at Western military airfields.
The F-16, a multi-role fighter aircraft from the US companies General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, is intended to help Ukraine better defend its airspace against the Russian aggressor. The Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium and Portugal are providing Kiev with several of the jets, and a delivery is expected imminently. The trick is that some of the aircraft are to be safely parked abroad – on NATO territory – and thus out of reach of Vladimir Putin’s troops.
F-16 jets on NATO territory: the Kremlin threatens to attack Ukraine’s jets there too
Sergey Golubtsov of the Ukrainian Air Force said: “A certain number of aircraft are stored at secure air bases outside Ukraine so that they are not targeted here.” Therefore, Andrei Kartapolov spoke to the Russian news agency on Monday RIA Novosti and declared the F-16 a “legitimate target” of Russia even outside Ukraine.
“But if they take off from the airfields of another country, fly into Ukrainian airspace, launch missiles and return there, then that is a legitimate target,” said Kartapolov, head of the Russian parliament’s defense committee. “And we can shoot down anything and anywhere,” he added.
Germany has no F-16 jets for Ukraine – F-16 as an upgrade against Putin’s air force
Germany is not one of the supporters who are supplying the F-16 fighter jet. The German jet Panavia Tornado is too old and not very useful for use in the Ukraine war, while the European Eurofighter is too complicated and rather unsuitable for the required area of operation on the Ukrainian front. Therefore, the F-16 remains the most important air support for the NATO states. Furthermore, France wants to help Ukraine with Dassault Mirage 2000 jets. In any case, the jets will be ordered from Volodymyr Selenskyj. hopefully awaited.
One thing is certain: Russia is clearly superior to Ukraine in the air. The Russian Air Force has Su-35 and MiG-31 jets, whereas the Ukrainian military has to rely primarily on the outdated MiG-29, Su-24 and 25. The F-16 jets are therefore a welcome upgrade for the Air Force and are clearly superior to the old Soviet aircraft.
The F-16 can fire modern missiles such as the AIM-120, which gives it a clear advantage in air combat. In addition, the range of the F-16’s radar system is far greater than that of the MiG-29. Although the F-16 has been in service since the 1970s, it has been continuously upgraded and developed, as Reuters reports.
The F-16 is squeamish and Putin is threatening: Will the jets therefore be stored outside of Ukraine?
One drawback of the F-16: the jet’s air intake under the cockpit is vulnerable to debris and rubble. The aircraft therefore needs a particularly smooth and long runway. The MiG-29, on the other hand, has no problem with this. Perhaps this is also why some of the F-16 jets are to take off from NATO airfields. It is unclear how many air bases Ukraine has that meet this requirement and have reinforced hangars to protect the F-16. APNews reported.
Previously, Vladimir Putin himself had stressed that NATO air bases would be a “legitimate target” if Ukrainian F-16 jets were to take off and land from there. Nevertheless, Putin stressed at the end of March that the F-16 “will not change the situation on the battlefield.” (sure)
#Russia #threatens #attacks #NATO #bases #F16 #sight