Air War in Ukraine - F-16s with Yellow-Blue Roundels
In our series on the aerial war in Ukraine, we usually map the events of each month chronologically. However, we will make an exception for this period (from July 1 to July 31). A significant event took place at the very end of July, and it deserves attention at the beginning of this article. Ukraine has taken an important step to strengthen its air force by starting to use F-16 fighter jets over its territory.
Miro Barič
F-16s with Yellow-Blue Roundels
Initially, videos surfaced showing F-16s in
the Ukrainian sky. However, the footage wasn't
entirely clear. A few days later, it was officially
confirmed, and the fighters were welcomed
by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
in the acceptance ceremony. According to his
statements, Ukraine currently has 10 of these
jets (out of the 79 promised), and by the end of
this year, they will have 20.
During the ceremony with Zelensky, two
F-16s were seen on the ground behind him.
Later, a few of these jets appeared in the air.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces released more
footage. In most of these, only the insignia
were visible, while other markings were
either retouched or not painted on the aircraft
at all. This is especially true for the pair of
aircraft on the ground behind the Ukrainian
president. They show some external features
of the F-16ADF version of the U.S. Air Force,
particularly the APX-13 IFF system antennas.
However, they lack other typical features.
It is also known that the U.S. has decided not to
provide Ukraine with any fighter jets. Austrian
military expert Tom Cooper believes that these
are decommissioned aircraft serving only as
a source of spare parts or as decoys in the
event of a Russian attack on the airfield. This
is supported by the incomplete camouflage, as
these aircraft are missing the darker shade of
gray on the upper surfaces.
The two aircraft that appeared in the air are
a completely different case. In one shot, the
tail numbers were not retouched. This allowed
us to identify them as aircraft 80-3596 and
80-3599, which were ordered by Denmark in
1980. Another distinguishing feature of Danish
aircraft is the position of the spotlight on the
front left side of the fuselage and the absence
of a brake parachute housing under the rudder.
The Danish Royal Air Force upgraded these
aircraft to the F-16AM MLU version in the
1990s. The last three letters stand for Mid-Life
Update, which refers to a mid-life upgrade.
This upgrade included improvements to the
radar, IFF system, and software, bringing these
aircraft closer to the F-16C/D Block 50/52
standard.
Further Interesting Information
about Ukrainian F-16s
Additional interesting details about the
Ukrainian F-16s were revealed through footage
from an official video. It shows that the aircraft
are equipped with the Terma PIDS+ system,
integrated into the middle pylons under the
wings. This means that the pylon can carry
a weapon while also housing three sensors
of the Hensoldt AAR-60(V)2 missile warning
system. Each F-16 is thus equipped with
six sensors that scan the surroundings in
a 360-degree radius, detecting threats such as
incoming missiles. If the system identifies such
a threat, it visually and acoustically alerts the
pilot, who can then execute evasive maneuvers.
If the missile is too close, the second part of
the PIDS+ system automatically activates,
deploying countermeasures. Depending on
the type of threat, the system selects the
appropriate countermeasures and determines
the optimal time, angle, and sequence to
release them for maximum effectiveness.
The PIDS+ system integrated into the pylons
of the Ukrainian F-16s offers their pilots
greater capabilities than the older Soviet-
made aircraft they previously flew. However,
the armament seen on these pylons is less
promising. The primary armament consists of
AIM-120B AMRAAM missiles with active radar
guidance. These are quality missiles that can be
very effective with the latest software updates.
In our series on the aerial war in Ukraine, we usually map the events of each month
chronologically. However, we will make an exception for this period (from July 1
to July 31). A significant event took place at the very end of July, and it deserves
attention at the beginning of this article. Ukraine has taken an important step to
strengthen its air force by starting to use F-16 fighter jets over its territory.
Ukrainian F-16AM MLU with
numbers 3599 and 3596.
Air War in Ukraine
UKRAINE
INFO Eduard30
September 2024