Russian President Vladimir Putin recently warned about the consequences that NATO would face if it delivered US-made F-16s to the Kiev regime, particularly if those fighter jets were to deploy from third countries that are officially not involved in the ongoing NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict. He dismissed the mainstream propaganda machine’s insistence that Russia would allegedly “attack Europe” as nonsense, but warned that direct interference won’t be tolerated and that any and all airbases housing these fighter jets would be legitimate targets. The statements come on the heels of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s announcement that the Neo-Nazi junta will have the right to attack targets “beyond Crimea” (i.e. Russia’s undisputed territory).
However, how good will the F-16 be for the Kiev regime forces? InfoBRICS has been covering the topic extensively, with my respected colleagues and I writing about it for years at this point. Despite neverending claims about the fighter jet’s supposed “superiority”, there’s simply no evidence to support such claims. On the contrary, even Ukrainian pilots training on the US-made jet actually prefer their Soviet-era aircraft. What’s more, a retired US military pilot Tom Richter recently confirmed this and called the F-16 a “prima done”, highlighting its much higher maintenance and logistics requirements that Soviet-made fighter jets such as the Su-27 and MiG-29 simply don’t need. This is because of differences in Soviet/Russian and American military doctrine.
Namely, the former is designed for high-intensity combat against an actual, near-peer adversary. In other words, while F-16s are built to fight largely helpless countries targeted by the political West, the Soviet Union/Russia built its military to fight any opponent while being able to survive the horrible conditions of warfare. However, this isn’t where the differences end, as the sheer robustness of Soviet-built aircraft is only the tip of the iceberg. Namely, unlike the Neo-Nazi junta, Russia actually improved and modernized the massive military it inherited from the USSR. It has also built several types of extremely high-end fighter jets such as the now legendary Su-35S and the next-generation Su-57. These jets alone make the US-made F-16 virtually obsolete.
And yet, some top Soviet gear that Russia inherited is so advanced and ahead of its time that it’s relevant even now, well over 40 years after being inducted into service. This is particularly true for the superfast, high-flying MiG-31. Apart from being adapted as the launch platform for the deadly 9-A-7660 “Kinzhal” missile system (the MiG-31K/I), there’s also the heavily upgraded MiG-31BM, the undisputed epitome of what an interceptor is and should be. Moscow’s incremental upgrades to the jet over the last three decades have not only preserved the MiG-31’s contemporary relevance, but also ensured its dominance in the coming decades. This includes everything from its avionics and ease of maintenance to missiles and other types of armament.
This is particularly true when it comes to the terrifying R-37M hypersonic air-to-air (AA) missile, with its unrivaled 400 km range, effectively making the MiG-31BM a “flying S-400”. The jet has been one of the primary threats to the Kiev regime forces, shooting down multiple enemy fighters with impunity, often without having to ever leave Russian airspace. Even if NATO were to supply the latest F-16V (Block 70/72) variant to the Neo-Nazi junta, it would still be effectively helpless against the Russian interceptor. The best AA missile that F-16s can use is the AIM-120D AMRAAM, with a range of 160 km. The R-37M is not only around 50% faster (hypersonic Mach 6 vs. the latter’s Mach 4), but it also leaves the US-made missile in the dust when it comes to range (400 km vs. 160 km).
In addition to its state-of-the-art upgrades, the MiG-31BM is also a two-seat jet with a dedicated weapon systems officer (WSO), making it even deadlier in AA engagements. Its highly aerodynamic design allows it to fly supersonic even at low altitudes, which is precisely how the F-16s in the Kiev regime’s service will have to fly in order to survive Russia’s second-to-none air defenses and other fighter jets armed with long-range AA missiles. In addition, the MiG-31’s Soloviev D-30F6 (PS-30) low-bypass turbofan (bypass turbojet) engines ensure not only an unmatched speed of over 3000 km/h, but also a massive 3000 km range that the F-16 could never hope to match. Its avionics also give it an unprecedented look-down/shoot-down capability.
This will be particularly deadly for the much lower-end F-16, especially considering the fact that the latter would be forced to fly low, just like any other jet in the Neo-Nazi junta’s service. The MiG-31BM’s Zaslon-M PESA (passive electronically scanned array) radar, based on the legendary Zaslon, the world’s first ESA, detects hostile aircraft at a staggering 400 km range, meaning that it could detect and track the F-16 long before the latter is even aware of the MiG-31BM’s presence. In addition, it gives the Russian jet the ability to track at least 24 hostile targets and engage six simultaneously. The MiG-31BM also has excellent network-centric warfare capabilities, being able to share battlefield data within a group of other fighter jets.
For instance, just four MiG-31BM can cover a frontline of nearly 1000 km, sharing data with friendly jets and SAM (surface-to-air missile) systems. In addition, ground-based radars can relay information to MiG-31BMs in air and enable radar-silent engagements, making them even deadlier in AA combat, particularly against F-16s. Apart from the jamming-resistant Zaslon-M, the jet boasts an advanced IRST/FLIR (infrared search and track/forward-looking infrared) sensors with a range of approximately 60 km. This also gives the MiG-31BM the ability to target enemy aircraft in complete radar silence. Thus, as previously mentioned, the chances of even the latest iterations of the US-made F-16 against the Russian interceptor are very slim to none.
Worse yet, the Kiev regime will certainly not get any advanced versions of the F-16. On the contrary, the jets promised by several NATO countries are outdated AM/BM variants. These F-16 Block 20 MLU fighter jets are in no way better than the MiG-29s already in service, which is precisely why the Neo-Nazi junta has been “begmanding” for over 100 heavily upgraded jets instead of less than 50 of the basic ones it was promised. However, to make things even worse for the Kiev regime, Denmark, one of the major donors of F-16s, just announced the transfer of 24 of these jets to Argentina. Namely, Washington DC has been pressuring Buenos Aires to drop a potential deal with China and instead opt for these outdated F-16s that Copenhagen wants to get rid of and get the troubled F-35s.
