With F-16s, Ukrainian Pilots Can Finally Beat Back Russia’s MiG-31s
The Russian air force hasn’t won the air war over Ukraine. But it hasn’t lost it, either. Fifteen months into Russia’s wider war on Ukraine, Russia has at least one major aerial advantage: the fearsome combination of the Mikoyan MiG-31BM interceptor and its very-long-range R-37M missile.
The 1,100-pound R-37M can hit Ukrainian jets from 125 miles away or farther, making it the longest-range air-to-air missile in the Ukraine war—and a uniquely serious threat to Ukraine’s battered air force. But there’s a fix in the works. A Dutch-British consortium has announced a new initiative to train Ukrainian pilots to fly Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters. Once the first group of pilots completes its training, as early as this summer, The Netherlands and other NATO countries presumably will donate surplus F-16AM/BM fighters—And these nimble supersonic fighters with their modern radars and long-range AIM-120 air-to-air missiles could help the Ukrainians to push back the MiG-31s.
The Russian air force’s combat air patrols “have proven highly effective against Ukrainian attack aircraft and fighters, with the MiG-31BM and R-37M long-range air-to-air missile being especially problematic,” Justin Bronk, Nick Reynolds and Jack Watling wrote inBut it’s important not to overstate the effectiveness of the MiG-31-R-37M combo.
That could count as a “soft” kill. Even when it doesn’t shoot them down, the R-37M might be preventing Ukrainian pilots from completing their missions.
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