According to military-political analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko, Western partners have not yet transferred F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine due to the lack of echeloned air defense.
Points of attention
- Insufficient air defense capabilities are hindering Ukraine from receiving F-16 fighter jets from Western partners.
- The deployment of echeloned air defense systems with varying radii of action is crucial for ensuring effective protection for Ukrainian aircraft.
- Making uninformed decisions in the realm of air defense could have severe consequences for Ukraine's security.
- The inadequacy of existing air defense systems in countering Russian reconnaissance UAVs highlights the need for strategic improvements.
- Until a comprehensive echeloned air defense system is established, the transfer of F-16 and Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine remains a challenging prospect.
Why should the transfer of F-16 to Ukraine take place only under a number of certain conditions
In particular, Kovalenko criticized the decision to deploy the S-300PS anti-aircraft defense system to protect Ukrainian military aircraft at the airfield in Myrhorod, Poltava Region.
The analyst emphasized that these air defense complexes are not capable of intercepting ballistic missiles and counteracting the Orlan-10 reconnaissance UAV of the occupying army.
A great decision, I don't know who made it, but one that deserves to be awarded the Hero of Ukraine order, which will hang next to the Hero of Russia order... You have to know how to fly the S-300PS, - Kovalenko is indignant.
According to him, this clearly demonstrates why the idea of installing the Patriot air defense system in Kharkiv is a "suicidal placebo."
Why are Western partners in no hurry to transfer F-16 and Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine
With such successes, it is not that the Patriot air defense system is pointless to transfer, don't ask why the F-16 is still not there. Because it is not possible to create an echeloned air defense to cover at least one airfield. And at the same time, in such difficult conditions of an acute shortage, someone still decides to make a decision that leads to the Darwin Award with catastrophic consequences... Until a full-fledged echeloned air defense system with short and medium-range complexes is created, talk about the next stage of covering such locations are pointless, - emphasizes Kovalenko.
At the same time, he also wondered why Poltava region does not solve the problem with Russian reconnaissance UAVs with the help of, for example, light aviation.
