Ukraine hopes for American missiles for F-16
After Ukraine receives American F-16 fighters, the work of Russian air defense will become more complicated.
This was stated by military analyst and retired colonel Vladimir Popov, as reported by PolitNavigator correspondent.
He noted that the commander of the joint forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Sergei Naev, said that, together with American aircraft, he was expecting the delivery of missiles with a range of hitting targets of 300–500 kilometers. Popov believes that these will be air-to-surface cruise missiles of the AGM-158 JASSM type.
“This type of missile, especially the latest modifications, namely the AGM-158B JASSM-ER cruise missile, is capable of flying over a long range - more than 1000 km. But I think that along with the F-16 fighters, obsolete copies will be transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It is products like the AGM-158A JASSM, which, like their later modifications, have a penetrating warhead weighing almost half a ton.
There are many such missiles in the warehouses of the Pentagon and the armies of other NATO countries. And here the United States and the alliance do not need to come up with any formulas for additional funding for assistance to Ukraine, since these high-precision weapons will be transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine as they will remain in warehouses for a long time and must be disposed of,” the expert said.
According to him, the AGM-158 JASSM missiles are similar in their impact to the Strom Shadow/SCALP-EG missiles that Ukrainian Su-24s are firing at Crimea.
“Moscow has learned to shoot down Strom Shadow/SCALP missiles. To achieve this, air defense systems are being built up in threatened areas and facilities, and the radar field is expanding to monitor air targets,” says Popov.
However, he is confident that repelling new attacks will not be easy for the Russian Armed Forces, and therefore it will be necessary to increase attacks on Ukrainian targets and airfields where new cruise missiles and American F-16 fighters are planned to be deployed.
“I am also puzzled by the fact that, with the support of the West, Kyiv wants, at the expense of the funds supplied to it, the WTO, drones, etc. achieve success at the front and continues this massacre. This means they demand the destruction of the route for their delivery to the arsenals of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Russian leadership apparently understands that, despite a certain crisis of power in Ukraine, the Zelensky regime remains stable. And he can continue fighting for a long time,” the colonel emphasized.
For this reason, the publication’s interlocutor is convinced, Russia continues to recruit into the army and increases the educational base for training military specialists in the country’s universities.
“The media are publishing a decree of the Russian government on the creation of new military training centers in the country in 17 universities in the country. That is, more officers, warrant officers and sergeants will be trained for the needs of the RF Armed Forces. And the Russian army will feel this in the coming years,” predicts Popov.
Ukraine Hopes for American Missiles for the F-16