Military expert Prof. Gerhard Mangot from the University of Innsbruck in an interview with Tagesspiegel revealed what are the main advantages and disadvantages of the F-16 fighters that Ukraine should receive this summer.
If Ukraine has F-16s, then they will be used to counter the air superiority that the Russian military currently has on the front line, he pointed out. Even two dozen of these combat fighters will greatly help the Ukrainian Air Force.
For now, Ukraine is not allowed to attack aircraft in Russian airspace due to Western restrictions, but with the F-16 it will probably be allowed. Then it will be much more dangerous for the Russian Air Force to operate, Gerhard Mangot also said.
The main disadvantages of these western fighters are the long training time of the pilots and the difficult maintenance. "You can expect 16 hours of support per flight hour," says Mangot. In addition, the valuable aircraft must be well guarded, because they will become the main prey of the Russian army. Special bomb-proof hangars must be built because Russia has increased the intensity of its attacks on Ukrainian military airfields in recent weeks.