Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine needs more than 100 F-16 fighter jets to counter the Russians in the sky. Even this amount is quite enough to resist approximately 300 Russian aircraft that are used on the territory of Ukraine.
Under what conditions will Russia no longer be able to use the Su-34
Military expert, reserve colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Petro Chernyk, noted that such a number of F-16s would allow Ukraine to completely solve the problem of Russian modified aerial bombs. They cause enormous damage to the Ukrainian army.
Even one squadron — 12 F-16s — can make a huge difference in a single area.
This machine can carry up to six long-range AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, which will knock down almost anything at a distance of 180 kilometers. The Su-34 drops heavy bombs FAB-250, FAB-500 and UPAB-1500 from a distance of 40-70 kilometers. If 2-4 missiles fired from one plane fly towards the Su-34, it is doomed, the military expert explained.
The Russians have only about 80 of these working machines in service. If, according to Chernyk, the Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down 30-40 Su-34s in a conventional month, they would be forced to completely abandon their use.
Because the occupiers can put into operation no more than 5-6 cars a year. And over time, the problem of their construction will grow, especially in terms of cost. The creation of the Su-34 requires a huge amount of Western microelectronics, which will become more expensive every month in every cycle,’ said Chernyk.
What is known about the Su-34 bomber
Certificate. The Su-34 bomber was developed in Soviet times and is a modification of the Su-27. Russia started mass production of these aircraft only in 2014.
One of the features of the fighter is the presence of a 30-millimeter GSh-301 gun. Also, the aircraft has 12 suspension points, its combat load is 8 thousand kilograms of various weapons on the external suspension.
