Kyiv:F-16s delivered to UAF will be equipped with long range missiles.

https://www.uawire.org /kyiv-f-16s-delivered-to-ukraine-will-be-equipped-with-long-range-missiles

Ohh....ranges in excess of 310 miles (500km).....basically all of Crimea in range....same as BSF(what's left of it)....strikes in RF....Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Rostov....even Minsk....if need be.

Orcs must be seething....seeing these low life "xoxols" learning to fly REAL jets popping Migs& Suckhois outta the sky......carpet bombing Z's defensive lines and mines with clusters.

 

This is what I really like:

The Netherlands has promised to provide Ukraine with 42 F-16 fighters, while Denmark has pledged 19 aircraft. Norway, which has about 60 such aircraft in its arsenal, also announced its intention to provide F-16 jets.​

That is a nice number. I sure hope they deliver as promised. Then it will be time to talk bombers and A-10s and such too.

 

Yep B1...bombers...A10s would be an awesome acquisition....that will blow holes in defensive lines REAL quick.

Let's see....6 A10s at a "brrrrrrrt" rate of 4800 rpms(cartridges the size of empty Jack Daniel's bottles), is 28800 explosive rounds spent in one sortie?....that's lotsa dead Z's, equipment, in one minute.


The other one that would be great to see is the B-2 Spirit....which can carry non nuclear JDams and MOABs.....talk about punching a hole BIGLY in a hurry.

 

It would be hilarious if we gave Ukraine B-1s, but I was just thinking of something more analogous to the Sukhoi aircraft they are fielding now. They will need something heavier than the F-16 eventually.

 

Oh yeah....if/when Ukraine joins NATO....I suspect numerous "heavyweights" will be available for just about any scenario......and basically pissing distance from the Mafiosi border.

 

Sure hope Ukraine is able to keep up with pilot training

 

.....yeah....probably by crashing into them having been shot down in multiple missile attacks.........ah the myth of the A10.....

 

...they should get the lads currently training up in Yorkshire to nip down the A1 then hang a left and sneak into RAF Lakenheath nick a bunch of F-15Es...and bugger off quickly back to Ukraine in them....nobody will miss them until a Monday morning if they do it on a Friday evening!!!

 

There is no munition that the F-16 uses that has a range of 310 miles. You read it wrong. They will get F-16s, as well as land-based missiles with a range of 310 miles.

 

Kyiv: F-16s to be delivered to Ukraine will be equipped with long-range missiles

...

Analysts at military website Defense Express suggest that the F-16 aircraft delivered to Ukraine will likely be equipped with AGM-158 JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile). According to them, these stealth technology-manufactured tactical cruise missiles have similarities with the Shadow variant. Additionally, the experts pointed out that this particular weapon system is widely used, currently in mass production, and available for export.

The AGM-158A JASSM is the baseline variant in service since 2003. With a range of 370 km, it is surpassed by subsequent versions such as the AGM-158B JASSM-ER, which boasts a range of up to 900 km and went into production in 2014. However, the penetrating warhead WDU-42/B, weighing 450 kg, has remained unchanged.

... https://www.uawire.org/kyiv-f-16s-delivered-to-ukraine-will-be-equipped-with-long-range-missiles#​

 

I've no idea....but do these work on the A/Bs that the Dutch are getting rid of? Apparently it took 3 years and cost the Poles USD250Mn to upgrade their C/D jets to take an initial 40 of them...??

 

I stand corrected, thank you.

 

..yeah it's not very clear is it....

 

no...I think you may be correct....

 

Article mentions "equipped" so that's what's mentioned.

 

Beats me, but it looks like a possibility, and that is as far as the article goes as well. It's not declaring anything with certainty.

 

Finally some substance:

The Netherlands – Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range
PDF Version
Press Release - Netherlands 23-89 CNv2.pdf
Media/Public Contact
pm-cpa@state.gov
Transmittal No
23-89

WASHINGTON, February 5, 2024 - The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the Netherlands of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range and related equipment for an estimated cost of $908 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Government of the Netherlands has requested to buy one hundred twenty (120) AGM-158B/B-2 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range (JASSM-ER) All-Up-Rounds; fifteen (15) AGM-158 Inert JASSMs with Test Instrumentation Kits; two (2) AGM-158 JASSM Separation Test Vehicles; one (1) AGM-158 Instrumented Test Vehicle; and two (2) JASSM Jettison Test Vehicles. Also included are AGM-158 JASSM Dummy Air Training Missiles (DATM) and containers; KGV-135A encryption devices; test and integration equipment and support; spare parts, consumables, accessories, and repair and return support; munitions support and support equipment; classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation; Contractor Logistics Support (CLS); transportation support; personnel training and training equipment; studies and surveys; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $908 million.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.

... https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/ma...-air-surface-standoff-missiles-extended-range​

No mention here of Ukraine. The Netherlands has requested to buy these missiles. I think the suggestion that Ukraine may receive them is pure speculation, and I don't know on whose part.

 

........all part of the fog of war based on speculation fuelled by wishful thinking on the part of the terminally befuddled....

 

Much better idea. B-1s are hideously expensive to operate and require all sorts of specialized kit & training. I'm not sure what available aircraft if any would do the job better than the F-16s. Might even be better just to fit out some of them in more of a bombing role. Maybe an expert can chip in.

 

I like your thinking. F-15Es would be fun.

 

....my fantasy strike package would be F-35 II flying top cover with a 2x4 ship F-15E strike flight supported by E/A-18G Growlers with AWACS and KC35 tankers in support....

 

SAAB Grippen...much better suited to the conditions especially the crappy runways in Ukraine....and the lack of tech support....logistics...spares....maintenance.....aaaaaaand everything else that the F-16 will need to exist without AWAC and Tanker support...

 

I remember @gnoib telling us once upon a time that the F-16 couldn't handle the Taurus cruise missile, that it would take a beefier craft to handle the weight. I guess because the F-16 only has one engine, perhaps? I am no expert in these matters though.

 

I imagine that the F-16 package will include those things though. Maybe not an AWACS.

 

the problem I have with all this F-16 talk.....I mean.....take the obvious one being that there are very few runways and even less dispersal points from which to operate these aircraft. What's the issue there....so what happens when the Russians target the runways...which unless they're totally bonkers they will. The aircraft will then have to disperse to bases ever farther away from the fronts in order to protect not only the planes but the crews/facilities/weapons/techies etc. which means that the flight times to and from the front lines become more and more extended and up and up goes fuel consumption. There are limited hard points on the aircraft; 2 under each wing and a center line, presumably you would want to make sure that these have ordnance on them so as to maximise its effectiveness.....but the distances they will need to cover, possibly loiter for targetting data, clearance into combat and then assume an attack posture (which would mean using afterburner at least when departing the hot zone) all of which means that fuel consumption is critical. Basically they will need to carry external fuel tanks as the internal ones would be insufficient and they have no air to air re-fuelling capability the more external fuel tanks they carry the less ordnance they can haul the less use they are. For example, the Grippen can land on reasonably well maintained roads whilst the F-16 can't as its a FOD hoover - plus the Grippen's got a strengthened undercarriage and its designed for minimal maintenance when on deployment whilst the F-16 is maintenance intensive even with full tech/logistics facilities on hand which they won't have for a long time (the only real option I can see is there being a MRO agreement with Poland as the older an aircraft is the more TLC it needs). The grippen is designed to be re-loaded/re-fuelled; basically turned around on a road by up to 4 people very quickly - can't do that with an F-16.
I just don't see these things being of much use as there's just far too many elements missing to make them a potent weapon in this scenario....just my thoughts.....