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About those F-16s for Ukraine - Arming them with AMRAAM Missiles is now going to happen [1]
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Date: 2023-09-03
Now that Ukraine will be getting F-16s (see related story), it looks like they will be armed with something that could give Ukraine a way to use them with effect. From Air & Space Forces Magazine:
Ukraine will receive AIM-120 AMRAAM advanced air-to-air missiles from the U.S. that could be used on its aircraft, Ukrainian officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “The United States will supply Ukraine with AMRAAM aircraft missiles with a range of 160-180 km,” said Yuriy Ihnat, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force.
Why this is important:
“We need weapons that can withstand Russian fighters,” Inhat said. The provision of AMRAAMs would go one step further, potentially arming those aircraft with radar-guided air-to-air missiles. AMRAAMs are used by the U.S. and many allies. They “are more than enough to get Russian aircraft without entering the enemy air defense zone of destruction,” Inhat said.
emphasis added
The problem for anyone operating aircraft in the conflict is the number and coverage of anti-aircraft defenses both sides are employing to keep fighters, bombers, and helicopters at bay, as well as taking out drones. The AMRAAM missiles have the range to strike across that kill zone and take out Russian aircraft without putting the F-16s at risk, approximately 100+ miles according to the article. The link in the first quote has more on the missiles and their capabilities.
AMRAAM is an active radar-guided, medium-range, supersonic air-to-air missile. It is a joint USAF-Navy follow-on to the AIM-7 Sparrow with launch-and-maneuver capability. The AIM-120B is an upgraded, reprogrammable variant of the original missile. The AIM-120C incorporates smaller control surfaces for internal carriage on F-22 and F-35 and a high-angle off-boresight (HOBS) launch capability. AIM-120D offers improved range, GPS-assisted guidance, updated data links, and jam resistance, in addition to greater lethality. Ongoing upgrades will further enhance weapon performance and electronic protection. The second phase of the AIM-120D System Improvement Program (SIP II) completed operational testing and will be fielded in 2020. Cybersecurity testing was concluded in mid-2019.
The usual caveats:
It will take time for Ukrainian pilots and crews to gain proficiency with the systems as they train up on the F-16. It’s not likely they’ll see use before 2024. Integrating them into overall combat operations for maximum efficiency will take time to work out. Whether or not they will be launched against aircraft operating in Russian airspace is a question that will have to be addressed. If it forces Russian aircraft launching drone attacks off the coast to have to stand off farther back, it will give Ukraine more time to intercept those incoming drones. Will they be able to take out Russian helicopters operating at low level? Will Russian counter-measures be able to jam their radar? We’ll see.
In as much as it’s extremely unlikely Ukrainian and Russian aircraft will ever get in range of each other to engage with guns, the need to provide Ukraine with AMRAAMs or equivalent was pretty much inevitable.
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