Since the start of Russia's war on Ukraine more than a year ago, officials in Kiev have asked their Western allies to provide the country with advanced warplanes, specifically F-16s, but the United States has long been reluctant to provide the fighter jet or allow other countries to re-export it to Ukraine.

The reason behind this reluctance was the fear that US-made fighter jets would be used to strike targets inside Russia, which could escalate the conflict, which changed relatively last week when US President Joe Biden gave the green light to Ukrainian pilots to train on F-16 aircraft, and Poland and some other countries have already begun training Ukrainian pilots to fly the fighter jet. With this development, it is expected that the F-16s will fly over Ukraine sooner or later, which will put them in direct confrontation with Russian aircraft, especially Sukhoi Su-35s.

Ancient Ukraine planes

Ukraine's newest aircraft dates back to 1991, and most of the country's fleet of aircraft needs maintenance and repair. (Reuters)

Air superiority is the main advantage that Russia has shown in the war so far, which is evident in the size of the losses suffered by the Ukrainian air force, as Western reports indicate that Kiev lost at least 60 of the 145 fixed-wing aircraft, and 32 helicopters out of 139, according to confidential documents recently leaked on the social networking platform Discord.

Ukrainian officials have not publicly disclosed their losses, but have acknowledged the difficulties they face in repairing and replacing damaged aircraft, which was stated by Colonel Yuri Ehnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, noting that the latest aircraft owned by Ukraine dates back to 1991, and that most of the country's fleet of aircraft needs maintenance and repair, as well as Russian spare parts that Kiev cannot obtain at the moment.

Ukraine apparently inherited a huge but obsolete fleet of fighter jets and helicopters of Soviet origin, part of its historical legacy as part of the Soviet Union before its dissolution. This fleet includes transport and training aircraft, Su-24, Su-25 and Su-27 fighter jets, and most importantly MiG-29 fighters, the main fighter in the Russian Air Force, which was built at the end of the seventies of the last century to confront the American F-16 fighters.

MiG-29 fighters. (Getty Images)

The first MiG-29 was relatively primitive, but it evolved in subsequent improvements, as the fighter was developed to meet the Soviet Air Force's requirements for a lightweight, multirole fourth-generation fighter. The MiG-29 officially entered service in 1986 and quickly occupied the front ranks of Soviet aviation.

Like the F-16, the MiG-29 can carry nuclear bombs and can fire radar-guided missiles. Still, the F-16 remains in a better position as a multirole fighter, excelling in maneuverability at high speeds greater than 200 knots and better than its Russian counterpart.

MiG to F-16

The F-16 is called the "Dragon" or "Fighting Falcon," as the aircraft has high offensive and defensive capabilities, and can be used for counterattack, close air support, and air surveillance missions. (Getty Images)

In fact, there are a lot of features that make the F-16 an ideal choice for many air fleets around the world, and to understand this we should probably quickly learn about the aircraft, which is one of the most popular fighter jets ever, which is used today in more than 25 countries around the world.

The F-16 first came to light in the seventies of the last century, by the American company "Lockheed Martin", and officially entered service in 1979, and it is a lightweight aircraft but designed so that its lightweight does not affect its combat capabilities. The aircraft was built by a consortium of the United States and four NATO countries, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, and together with the United States, produced about 348 aircraft for their air forces.

Dubbed the "Dragon" or "Fighting Falcon", the F-16 has high offensive and defensive capabilities, can be used for counterattack, close air support and air surveillance missions, and has a maximum range of 4,220 km, not to mention its ability to carry up to 6 missiles. Most importantly, the F-16 maneuvers more than most competing combat aircraft, and it can identify targets in all weather conditions and detect low-flying aircraft.

The F-16 could fundamentally change the balance of power in the conflict, balancing Russia's air superiority and enabling Ukraine to guard its border with Russia in the long term even after the end of the war. (Rotters)

The U.S. fighter also provides the pilot with unobstructed forward and higher visibility, and its visibility has been significantly improved in the sides and rear with upgrades. The F-16 has improved global positioning systems, a high-precision navigation system, computers provide guidance information to the pilot, and it has countermeasures that can be used to repel cyber threats.

Other than that, the F-16 is characterized by the strength of its radars and superior ability to identify targets on the ground, which makes it suitable for providing cover for Ukrainian forces during ground battles with Russian forces, will allow them to advance in any counterattack, and will help repel Russian aircraft. Ukrainians also argue that fighter jets would allow them to defend sea shipping lanes, thereby securing the departure of Ukrainian grain from the country, goals that cannot be achieved with current Soviet-made aircraft.

According to many experts, the F-16 could fundamentally change the balance of power in the conflict, balancing Russia's air superiority and enabling Ukraine to guard its border with Russia in the long term even after the end of the war. The importance of the aircraft is particularly important if we mention that the Ukrainian air fleet is currently about four to five times smaller than the Russian fleet in the number of aircraft, as well as large differences in capabilities, which makes Ukraine in dire need of a fundamental modernization of its air force to balance Russian power.

F-16 vs. Su-35

Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter. (Reuters)

The upcoming presence of the F-16 in the skies over Ukraine raises questions about its ability to match the Russian Su-35 booster fourth-generation fighter jets, which Russia currently uses heavily in the conflict. The Su-35 is known for its high maneuverability, especially in tight corners compared to the F-16, and it can launch missiles from speeds and heights that the F-16 cannot reach, in addition to carrying more advanced radar, in contrast to the American fighter excels in terms of lightness and speed, and it is difficult to see, especially when it targets you directly, and this is because it is much smaller than most other aircraft, other than its superiority in the standards of ease of maintenance and fuel efficiency.

Many interested in military affairs are waiting for the first open confrontation between Russian and American aircraft since the end of the Cold War, however, it is unlikely that the F-16s will fly over Ukraine soon, despite the start of training Ukrainian pilots on fighters, the timetable for supplying aircraft to Ukraine is still unclear, and American experts estimate that it could take at least 18 months before Kiev receives the first batch of fighters.

Experts point to 3 barriers to the delivery of the U.S. fighter to Ukraine: First, the length of training, which can take 6 months, optimistic estimates. Second, Ukraine lacks the infrastructure to operate U.S. aircraft and hide them from runways and bases, as well as supply and maintenance chains. Finally and most importantly, political obstacles, which are the most important obstacle in this path, as the United States and its Western allies fear that the delivery of aircraft will push towards expanding the confrontation with Russia, especially if Ukraine decides at some point to use American aircraft to target the Russian interior, which increases the possibility of a direct confrontation between Russia and the West.