Ukraine may get some broken, written-off F-16s. What for?

Ukraine is eagerly waiting for its first batch of F-16 fighter jets. They should come with trained pilots and ground crews in a span of a few months. However, Ukraine may also get some broken F-16s that are not even air-worthy. What are those for?

F-16s of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Image credit: Dutch Ministry of Defence via Wikimedia (CC BY 4.0)

There have been reports that inoperable F-16 fighter jets will be handed over to Ukraine. This news was met with some resistance, because why does a country at war need broken jets? It is not like Ukraine has any experience with the F-16 and can fix them. Ukraine never had Western jet fighters so if they come broken, they will remain broken and will not contribute to the security of Ukrainian skies.

Ukraine is very much looking forward to the F-16 fighter jets, which should arrive along with the newly trained pilots and technical personnel as early as the coming June. But some of these jets may reportedly be inoperable. In fact, the spokesman of the Air Force of Ukraine Major Ilya Yevlash confirmed that Ukraine will also receive broken F-16 fighter jets, but they are also needed because they can be used as parts donors.

“Even if these are decommissioned planes, they are absolutely necessary. Donors are used in many countries. When one component does not work, other parts can be taken for use elsewhere,” Yevlash explained.

In addition, non-flying fighter jets can be used in other ways. For example, as decoys that would be wasting Russian reconnaissance resources and, perhaps, missiles or drones. Ukraine already uses old decommissioned jets, other equipment and mock-ups for this exact purpose. Russians observe them, thus wasting their intelligence resources, and attack them wasting their weapons and ammo.

Russia will definitely be actively searching for F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine. It would be good if they found only those that did not work and counted them as real losses of Ukraine. It was reported before that the United States has bought 81 Soviet-era planes from Kazakhstan. Those are also not flight-worthy and will be used as donors or decoys in Ukraine.

Ukraine is already preparing infrastructure for its future F-16 fleet. It was reported that jets will be housed in well-hidden hangars that should provide sufficient protection from the eyes of Russian intelligence as well as their suicide drones. Very soon the F-16 will be a priority target for the Russian invaders and all kinds of means, including decoys, will be needed to protect these assets.

It’s been reported that F-16s will arrive in Ukraine in June. However, this event will not be announced publicly. Western fighter jets will arrive quietly and will start their work immediately.

Written by Povilas M.

Source: Armyinform.com.ua