Can F-16s operate effectively 40 km from front line? Defense Express explains

Defense Express analyzed whether this range is enough for effective work.

Maintaining a distance of 40 km is a significant limitation on the F-16’s ability to counter Russian aircraft equipped with guided aerial bombs. Russian aircraft can drop these bombs on targets at a depth of up to 10 km from the front line, often approaching within 40-50 km to do so, as reported by Defense Express.

Thus, there will be 80-90 kilometers between a Ukrainian F-16 and a Russian Su-34. Given this, the primary concern is the type of weapons the F-16s will be equipped with.

All European F-16s that have undergone the MLU upgrade are equipped with the AN/APG-66(V)2A radar, which has an instrumental range of 150 km.

Therefore, the focus now is on the F-16s' missile types.

If we consider the latest AIM-120C8, which has a range of up to 160 km, then driving away Russian aircraft becomes a realistic scenario. The so-called no-escape zone (the range within which an enemy aircraft cannot evade a missile) for the AIM-120C8 is estimated to be around 80 km, as reported by Defense Express.

At the same time, the AIM-120C5 has a range of 105 km and a no-escape zone of approximately 50 km, making it less effective compared to the AIM-120C8. 

Photo: U.S. Air Force

According to Defense Express, it's not just having F-16s or AIM-120 missiles that matters, but rather the specific versions of these missiles. However, it's important to note that the no-escape zone parameter is highly debatable and lacks official data. Furthermore, it is dynamic and depends on factors such as the aircraft's relative position, course, and altitude.

So, even though Ukrainian F-16s will not be able to get within 40 kilometers of the front line, this doesn’t mean they won’t be able to carry out their missions.

• The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that Ukraine has a strategy to liberate Crimea and is working tirelessly to restore the internationally recognized borders of 1991.