US President Donald Trump's team has ordered the termination of vital support for F-16 fighter jet jamming equipment that Ukraine has. What is important to understand is that this could deprive the Ukrainian Air Force of its most important air countermeasures.
Points of attention
- Re-equipping F-16s with non-American electronic countermeasures in the future is a possibility but would require substantial time and resources.
- Collaboration with French allies and strategic focus on Mirage 2000 could be key steps for Ukraine to strengthen its air defense capabilities amidst changing circumstances.
French Mirage can protect Ukrainian skies
Analyst David Axe points out that Ukrainian forces are indeed in a difficult situation after Trump's decision, but it is not hopeless.
The expert advises the Armed Forces of Ukraine to focus on the French Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters at this stage.
What is important to understand is that the French Ministry of Defense promised to install new electronic countermeasures on the Mirage 2000 on the eve of their delivery to Ukraine.
It is quite possible that it was an analog Integrated Countermeasures Suite Mark 2 or a fully digital Integrated Countermeasures Suite Mark 3.
Any of these systems is an improvement over the old system and a potential replacement for the AN/ALQ-131, as the American pods lag behind the Russian adaptation. At the same time, the French are staunch allies of Ukraine and are ready to reprogram the jamming systems if necessary.
According to David Axe, in the future, Ukrainian soldiers could re-equip their F-16s with non-American electronic countermeasures.
However, it is important to understand that this will take a lot of time and money.
