Last summer, the F-16 fighter jets provided by Western countries finally arrived at the front line of Ukraine. They are mainly retired fighter jets provided by Northern European countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands, with the official model being F-16AM/BM. After a performance enhancement plan in the mid-90s, the avionics and radar systems look decent. However, there is a question: what kind of missiles and weapons has the United States equipped Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jets with? Can they stand against Russia’s Su-30 or Su-35?
Recently, a video released by the Ukrainian Air Force showed an F-16 fighter jet carrying three fuel tanks, along with AM-120 missiles and Sidewinder missiles. These are not just ordinary Sidewinder missiles but the latest version, AIM-9X, which is the most powerful short-range air-to-air missile in the world and can be seen in use by the Taiwanese and American air forces.
AIM-9 can be said to be the most powerful short-range air-to-air missile globally. It can be used in conjunction with the F-16’s head-up display for high off-boresight engagements. In simple terms, it can almost conduct attacks at any angle, being able to launch missiles from the rear or side of an enemy aircraft, self-track after launch, and possess fire and forget capability. Additionally, it uses a more advanced infrared imaging guidance system, providing stronger anti-jamming capabilities.
Another new weapon appearing on the F-16 is the AIM-120C version. Currently, the medium-range air-to-air missile AIM-120 has four main versions – A, B, C, and D. The D version is the newest model, with a range increased to around 180 kilometers and currently used by the US Air Force. The range of the C version is not as far, but more importantly, it is Ukraine’s first truly active radar air-to-air missile.
Ukrainian pilot Andrii once told reporters that the lack of fire and forget missiles is the biggest problem Ukraine faces.
The Ukrainian Air Force mainly used Soviet fighter jets and missiles, but after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, military technology development stagnated. Although they use aircraft such as the Su-27 and MiG-29, similar to Russia, the armaments, radars, avionics have fallen behind, especially in terms of air-to-air missiles.
Ukraine primarily uses missiles like the R-27 and R-73 developed in the 1980s – the R-73 being a short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missile, essentially the Soviet version of the Sidewinder; the R-27 being a semi-active radar-guided missile. This means that after launching the missile, the aircraft’s radar must continuously illuminate the target for the reflected radar waves to be received by the R-27 missile, as the missile itself cannot emit radar waves for target illumination. If the aircraft’s radar cannot continuously illuminate the enemy target, or loses track of the target, the R-27 missile is like a lost fly, not sure where to go.
In contrast, the Ukrainian Air Force’s adversary, the Russian Air Force, is different. After the 90s, Russia developed more advanced air-to-air missiles like the R-37 and R-77, significantly increasing range, with the R-37 reaching over 300 kilometers and featuring active radar guidance, enabling launch and forget capabilities. This allows Russian fighter jets to detect Ukrainian aircraft at greater distances, launch missiles, and retreat, a luxury not available to the Ukrainian Air Force. Not only can they not see the enemy, but even if they do, launching a missile requires continuous tracking and illumination of the enemy aircraft, significantly increasing the risk.
This is why over the past two years, the Ukrainian Air Force has avoided direct confrontation with the Russian Air Force as much as possible and one of the critical reasons for downing Russian fighter jets. Air combat missions are mainly assigned to ground-based air defense units, such as the Patriot missiles and S-300 air defense systems, which prove more effective than Ukraine’s own MiG-29s and Su-27s.
The arrival of the AIM-120C can better help Ukraine address this issue. With a range of 100 to 120 kilometers, although not comparable to Russia’s latest R-37M, it still significantly improves Ukraine’s combat capability.
Currently, it appears that the Ukrainian Air Force is cautious in using the F-16 fighter jets and has not had many opportunities for direct engagements with the Russian Air Force. There are two main reasons for this. First, Ukraine still fears Russia’s air defense capabilities and the threat of long-range air-to-air missiles like the R-73 and R-37. Second, the Russian Air Force has significantly reduced its direct activities on the Ukrainian front line. Last year, Ukraine used Patriot missiles and S-300 systems, including modified Soviet-era S-200s, to shoot down Russian A-50 AWACS aircraft twice, as well as several Su-34 “Fullback” and Su-30 fighter jets. The Russian Air Force has had to significantly reduce the frequency of fighter missions on the front lines.
The Ukrainian Air Force has also repeatedly deployed F-16s for ground attack missions, using the SDB Small Diameter Bombs. In a video, an F-16 fighter jet is seen flying at extremely low altitude over Ukrainian airspace, with BRU-61 racks mounted under the wings, specifically designed for small diameter bombs, with each rack capable of carrying four bombs. Since last year, Ukraine has modified its MiG-29 and Su-25 fighter jets to launch GBU Small Diameter Bombs.
SDBs are developed by Boeing, with a 250-pound warhead. SDBs have two significant characteristics – high precision and low cost. So far, there have been two generations of SDBs developed. The first generation uses GPS and inertial guidance, providing accuracies of 5 to 8 meters. This precision is remarkable considering the SDB is an unpowered bomb that relies on its guidance system and aerodynamics to achieve such accuracy.
SDBs can be launched from the air with a range of up to 110 kilometers, shorter when attacking moving targets, roughly 40 kilometers. While the first-generation SDBs can’t track moving targets relying solely on GPS guidance, the second-generation SDB incorporates millimeter-wave radar in addition to GPS and inertial guidance, enhancing its precision to 1 meter.
Moreover, SDBs are cost-effective at only $40,000, making them accessible and practical. NATO has a significant stockpile of GBU bombs available for the Ukrainian Air Force to use.
In addition to the Small Diameter Bombs, another equipment paired with the Ukrainian F-16 fighter jets is the ALQ-131 electronic countermeasure pod. Designed by Northrop Grumman, the ALQ-131 pod aims to provide jamming and protection for the fighter jets, featuring active electronic countermeasure capabilities to disrupt enemy radar systems, reduce the chances of enemy lock-on, thus shielding the aircraft from missile attacks. It can be used for jamming enemy airborne targets and air defense missile systems.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian F-16 fighter jets are equipped with the PIDS system, known in Chinese as the “Suspension Integrated Distribution System,” manufactured by a Danish company, featuring missile warning sensors that can preemptively detect approaching missiles. It also includes the ability to launch countermeasures and flares against missile threats.
As of now, Ukrainian F-16s, while not the latest F-16B version, are equipped with relatively new weapons like the AIM-9X Sidewinder missile, AIM-120C medium-range air-to-air missile, ALQ-131 ECM system, providing decent self-defense and air combat capabilities.
However, the Ukrainian F-16s have not been extensively engaged in air-to-air combat missions. Their primary tasks in the battlefield are two-fold – conducting aerial patrols near major cities to detect and intercept enemy cruise missiles, as well as executing ground attack missions at the front line, using the Small Diameter Bombs provided by the US.
To date, Western countries have provided a total of 85 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, with the Netherlands providing 24, Denmark 19, Norway 12, in addition to spare parts for 10 aircraft, while Belgium has pledged to provide 30 aircraft. With more F-16 fighter jets arriving in Ukraine, more Ukrainian pilots becoming familiar with the F-16, it is believed that the F-16 will play a bigger role in the Ukrainian battlefield.
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