Ukraine's military fleet consists of Soviet aircraft, which is why Kyiv has been asking Western partners for a long time to transfer F-16 fighters. These multirole fighters will reinforce Ukraine and, together with MiG-type aircraft, will at least level the situation in the sky.
The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has a direct analogue of the F-16 – the MiG-29. Also, our country can receive several MiG-29s from partners as part of military assistance. Each of the aircraft has its own advantages, but the American F-16s are still somewhat better. Channel 24 in the material “On land, water and in the sky: how and in what way NATO military equipment is superior to Russian” compared the characteristics of the F- 16 and MiG-29.
APU fits: what is the secret of F-16
For the US Army, the fourth-generation F-16 aircraft is a thing of the past, and the Americans have long stopped the production of these aircraft for their Air Force. At the same time, due to its versatility, the F-16 is in service with many countries around the world. It's like the universal German Leopard tanks, which many European countries also have.
The F-16 has gone through several upgrades, so there are different offers on the market. It is important that the F-16, obsolete for the Americans, even now has an advantage over Russian aircraft. Of course, we are not talking about the Su-57, although the invaders almost never use this aircraft.
F-16v Block 70/72 characteristics:
- Crew: 1 person
- Length: 15 meters
- Wingspan: 9.5 meters
- Maximum speed: Mach 2+
- Maximum takeoff weight: 21.7 tons
- Combat load weight: 1.1 tons
- Hard points: up to 13
The F-16 is relatively cheap (from $43 million to $60 million per unit) and easy to maintain; there are many aircraft of this type in the US and Europe. That is, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not have problems with the maintenance and restoration of equipment. An important limitation of this aircraft is the relatively short flight range.
As explained in the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, F-16 fighters are ideal for Ukraine because of their versatility – they combine the functions of four aircraft in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.< /p>
The speaker of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yuriy Ignat, noted that the F-16 fighter can strike ground targets with different types of weapons, as well as become part of the air defense of Ukraine.
Ukraine has a direct analogue of the F-16: strengths of the MiG-29
The MiG-29 is a good aircraft, even having some advantages over the F-16, in particular, in flight range and payload weight. However, they lose significantly in electronics and control systems. Fractions of a second are important in the sky – this is the advantage that the F-16 gives.
Characteristics of the MiG-29:
- Crew – 1 person (in combat training modification – 2)
- Length – 17.32 meters.
- Height – 4.73 meters.
- Wingspan – 11.36 meters.
- Maximum speed – 2450 kilometers per hour (Mach 2.3).
- Thrust of one engine in “full afterburner” mode – 8300 kilogram-force.
- Practical ceiling – 18 thousand meters.
- Practical flight range at high altitude – 1430 km (with external fuel tanks – 2100 km).
- Maximum combat load weight – 2.18 tons.
< li>Maximum takeoff weight – 18.1 tons.
For Ukraine, the advantage of the MiG-29 is that our pilots are already can fly them. It is also a fourth-generation multirole fighter. The MiG-29 is armed with a 30 mm aircraft gun and its ammunition capacity is 150 rounds. Also, up to six missiles and bombs can be hung on the plane.
“Ukraine is now planning to use the F-16 as a flying air defense, or as combat units of tactical aviation. Compared to the same MGG-29 or Su-27, the American F-16 is a spacecraft. These aircraft have been waiting for a long time in Ukraine. They the appearance should radically change the balance of power in the sky, and then on the ground,” the Channel 24 article says.
Comparison of F-16 and MiG-29 fighters/Infographics of the Word and Deed “
Zhdanov compared the F-16 with the Soviet MiG-29
- Military expert Oleg Zhdanov explained that according to the main parameters – the rate of climb, the rate of turn, acceleration – the MiG-29 is dominated by the F-16. For example, in a turn of 1 degree per second, a Soviet aircraft is faster.
- But in the end, as Zhdanov said, the F-16 wins. This is because it has one engine and is a light fighter. In addition, its combat load is 5 tons more than that of the MiG-29.
- Also, the MiG-29 almost cannot perform an anti-missile maneuver, while the F-16 is capable. The F-16's modern upgrade uses stealth technology. And both passive and active technologies.
