F-16 fighters will not be as effective as expected due to strengthened Russian air defense – Zaluzhny
The F-16 multi-role fighters that Ukraine will receive next year will be less useful than they could be. Russia has strengthened its air defense.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said this in an interview with the Economist.
According to him, the Western allies were too cautious in supplying Ukraine with their latest technologies and powerful weapons, fearing a confrontation with Russia.
“They are not obliged to give us anything, and we are grateful for what we have, but I am just stating the facts,” Zaluzhny said.
He noted that by delaying the delivery of long-range missile systems and tanks, the West allowed Russia to regroup and strengthen its defense after a sudden breakthrough in Kharkiv and Kherson regions in late 2022.
“These systems were most relevant to us last year, and they arrived only this year,” the general said.
Likewise, the F-16s that Ukraine will receive next year will be less useful, the general suggests, partly because Russia has improved its air defense: an experimental version of the S-400 missile system can reach the city limits of Dnipro, he warns.
Zaluzhnyi emphasized the crucial role of drones and electronic warfare equipment that can prevent the occupiers from flying.
