Ukraine could receive 'game changing'
F-16s as White House 'tells European allies
it will not block export of fighter jets'
Daily Mail (UK),
by
Chris Jewers
Original Article
Posted By: Imright,
5/19/2023 11:20:33 AM
The Biden administration has told its European allies it is ready to allow them to send 'game changing' fighter jets to Ukraine to use against Vladimir Putin's forces, according to reports.
The White House is coming under increasing pressure to help Ukraine procure the US-made F-16, which are in the arsenals of a number of European countries.
However, any country would require the United States to sign off the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine on account sensitive US technology being on-board the jets.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Roscoelewis 5/19/2023 11:24:36 AM (No. 1473075)
It will take an already trained pilot 9 -12 months to train in the F-16. Will that too late enough to get into the fight?
6 people like this.
The Russians will just shoot them down or destroy them on Ukrainian runways.
3 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Phantomll 5/19/2023 12:36:04 PM (No. 1473154)
F-16s are not "fighter jets," they're jet fighters.
3 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
MindMadeUp 5/19/2023 12:46:48 PM (No. 1473164)
I suspect they'll be piloted by "NATO pilots," which could mean some well-trained boys from Kansas. We need to get out of this disaster, fast. And that means regime change here at home. Soon.
8 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
john56 5/19/2023 12:53:51 PM (No. 1473171)
On sale: F-16's delivery through Ukraine. Inquiries through Hunter and Jim Biden.
4 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
DVC 5/19/2023 1:06:31 PM (No. 1473183)
The F-16 is exceptionally poorly suited for Ukrainian airports. The MiG-29 has huge side engine inlets for the jet engines, and on this MiG, they can be closed off by inner doors, and alternate inlets on the top of the fuselage can be opened to prevent severe engine damage when using gravel or ordinary roads as runways.
In comparison, the F-16 has the inlet VERY low in the front where any loose gravel or other materials will be sucked in during takeoffs, damaging the engine.
The F-16 was designed for long, paved runways which are kept scrupulously clean. For example, the USN has a "FOD walkdown" every time an aircraft carrier starts air operations. "FOD" means 'foreign object damage" and is used as a noun for any foreign objects which may be laying on the deck, a dropped wrench, a loose bolt or nut, whatever will damage an engine.
Many Russian jet aircraft have been specifically designed to use gravel roads or ordinary roads (perhaps with crumbling pavement edges, for emergency runways. Any super nice runways in Ukraine are likely to be holed by Russian weapons, and quickly repaired....leaving loose material too often.
F-16 is a bad choice for Ukrainian conditions. The Saab Gripen is designed specifically for these same 'gravel road' conditions, and would be a far better NATO choice, although Sweden has very few of these aircraft.
The Gripen is also designed for simpler ground maintenance, not something that the F-16 is set up for, either.
10 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Rama41 5/19/2023 1:11:50 PM (No. 1473187)
#6. No problem if they fly out of Ramstein. Who knows what His Senility is planning?
4 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
DVC 5/19/2023 1:19:05 PM (No. 1473191)
Re #7, not likely the Germans would permit it. However, Polish airfields just over the border might be a different thing.
And the "FOD walkdown" on a USN carrier has a line of men walking the full length of the carrier deck about 3 feet apart, each person carefully examining the strip of the deck in front of them for any piece of wire, bolt, nut, washer or anything else that WILL be sucked into the engine and damage it.
3 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
stablemoney 5/19/2023 2:20:44 PM (No. 1473236)
This will only cause the Russians to escalate. We are now at war with Russia, because of Biden. There is little public support for this war. There will be no winners.
3 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
TCloud 5/19/2023 3:37:13 PM (No. 1473272)
Is *duck soup* for a SU-35!
1 person likes this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
DVC 5/19/2023 4:28:26 PM (No. 1473305)
Re #9, Russian CANNOT escalate, they have thrown in everything that they have and are running short on war materiel. They are pulling 1960s tanks from the boneyards and doing a quick cleanup and sending them to fight. They are starting to run short on artillery shells, precision long range missiles and such equipment. Most of those things have parts made in other countries which are not selling to Russia now, so they cannot make more, or can make them only very slowly.
Russia is also running short on men who will fight. Huge numbers have left the country to avoid the meatgrinder fighting a country that most ordinary Russians do not see as an enemy.
0 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
Hazymac 5/19/2023 7:22:45 PM (No. 1473413)
Zelenskyyy hopes that with another fat eight or nine figure bribe to the Biden crime family--through intermediaries and shell corporations, of course--Joetato will relent and give him a few 15 megaton H-bombs, which would really get the Rooskies irritated at us. Then after Vlad thermonuked us and we thermonuked back, the Chicoms (who bribed Brandon the most of all the bribers) could just waltz in and take charge of the smoking, radioactive ruins. It's been paid for, and the lucre has been accepted by the greediest American pol ever.
0 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Alecto2 5/19/2023 10:09:05 PM (No. 1473476)
#11 Every month for over a year we've been assured they're running out of munitions. Glad that's the case or Ukraine would really be in trouble.
1 person likes this.
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