Good to see a balanced appraisal of the capabilities the F16 will bring rather than the "It's the best/crap" offerings from lesser contributors.

@jtjames79

8 ай бұрын

I haven't watched the video so probably covers it but I would say the best part is plug-and-play with NATO munitions. There is a lot of an F-16 can do without getting close to the front line.

@sjsomething4936

8 ай бұрын

It’s one of the things I like about Alex, he keeps his commentary real, outlining both the good and bad as he has done here. I think these will be a valuable addition to Ukrainian capabilities, especially if used in the correct manner for operational support. It will mean that Russia doesn’t have the upper hand in some situations where they might currently.

@vic5015

8 ай бұрын

Perhaps the biggest thing is that the F-16s can deploy most, if not all, of NATO's air-launched weapons. Of which there are *many* . No more jerry-rigging stuff to use NATO weapons with their Cold War-Era planes and getting only a fraction of the full capability of those weapons.

@michaelnewell9662

8 ай бұрын

one question he didn't raise is "who's going to fix these jets?". Ukrainian technicians will face a steep learning curve with a new jet, a new language, new alphabet, and a completely different design ethos in the F-16. additionally, recruiting foreign maintainers is complicated by the fact that anyone working on Ukrainian jets in Ukraine will be considered combatants and will be subject to Russian attempts to target and kill them.

@sjsomething4936

8 ай бұрын

@@michaelnewell9662 Ukrainian people are generally very good at speaking and reading English, I’ve worked with quite a number of them. There’s also the potential for them to be sent over the border into Poland for maintenance similar to what is happening with some of the tanks in use by Ukraine. Maintenance of the aircraft is also done very far from the front lines, the likelihood of capture by Russia is incredibly low, whether it’s foreign mechanics or Ukrainian.

No matter what kind of plane you have - it's maintenance and aircrew proficency that determines how effective it is.

@steveofthewildnorth7493

8 ай бұрын

That might be the most important piece of the puzzle. If an airplane is broke, it's not doing anyone any good. Safe to assume we and our NATO allies are working hard to make that a reality with Ukrainian maintainers. It's the biggest hurdle in my mind.

@issadraco532

8 ай бұрын

@@steveofthewildnorth7493 how exactly is that gonna happen? you have 30-40% of aircraft down for maintenance at any given time, and that's during peacetime in the united states with the best and brightest crews with half a century of experience operating the thing, and with the best infrastructure and logistics in the world and a budget of a trillion dollars per year and the full weight of the united states department of defense behind them, and with the manufacturer being a domestic company right around the corner when specialized expertise is needed, and with a whole big ass aircraft boneyard in arizona that is available for parts when needed. and guys still need to pull off miracles to get the planes back in the sky, and cannibalize some to put others back into working condition. what are those numbers gonna be like in ukraine with their shitty runways filled with patched up cruise missile potholes and everything? like 50 or 60% of the aircraft down for maintenance at any given time? especially since we're talking about second hand fifty year old aircraft here.. i don't even know how the heck anyone expects this whole thing to be set up in the poorest and most corrupt country on the continent while they are being invaded by retarded russian cavemen and their facilities are taking hits from apartment-seeking and kindergarten-seeking and church-seeking old soviet junk cruise missiles? not like there is a little IKEA manual for how to set up the whole network of infrastructure and logistics and maintenance needed to operate fourth generation aircraft. it would take a whole army of consultants and contractors from lockheed and dozens of other companies that would have to go there on the ground and spend years there to show them how to do things and put everything together for them. while once again dodging russian cruise missiles and risking their lives. i honestly doubt that it will happen. it would take probably like a decade. this whole thing of ukrainians and their poorly-trained soviet-minded military suddenly getting western tanks and western fourth generation aircraft seems more like a distraction and propaganda thing than anything else. more of a "hey looky here, genius ukrainian super-pilots learned to operate fourth generation western aircraft in a few months unlike those dummies in the west that need 3-5 years! aren't we great? we're basically up to western standards now, so you should let us join NATO and send your kids to die in ukraine and risk starting a nuclear war!" kind of thing.. remember how they said "oh yeah, 4 months tops, big game-changing western aircraft in ukraine by september for sure" back in may when they first announced this? well now we're in september and they can't even find more than six guys that would even fit the criteria needed for the job, and they don't speak a word of english, so turns out that they would need 4 months of training just in terms of english classes to learn the aircraft-related nomenclature. this means that they're not even gonna start the written and classroom portion of the training let alone step foot anywhere near the aircraft before sometime early next year. and even then.. what, they are gonna learn the 3-5 years worth of training that is needed to master this aircraft in a few months by talking with some little pilots from the netherlands that probably have like zero combat experience and that barely get like an hour or two of flight time per month, with their little fleet of like two squadrons of goddamn fifty year old second hand aircraft? with ukrainians that will still barely understand a word of what the guys are telling them, and with the netherlands pilots speaking with a heavy netherlands accent.. it just seems ridiculous. it's gonna be like 2026 or 2027 before they get even just what was promised so far, and even then those pilots are gonna be limited because the training will still have been rushed. they're even talking about recycling already-existing ukrainian pilots to make the process faster, but that will only lead to lower quality pilots once again because those guys in the netherlands will have to attempt to pull off miracles to get those ukrainian pilots to forget their soviet communist training and doctrine that they learned when they were taught on those old rusty soviet flying garbage cans that they currently operate. and that kind of stuff sounds nice in training and everything, but like always once they actually go into combat and have russian cavemen firing and vodka air defenses firing missiles at them, they are gonna panic and get overwhelmed and revert back to their old soviet instincts. just like their ground forces are doing now. talked about big combined arms western maneuver style warfare and big concentrated attacks to break through the caveman lines and big lightning fast advance to the sea bypassing the defenses and surrounding the cities to force the reds to give up the whole south and "maybe even crimea by the end of the summer, war over by the end of the year for sure".. and then their clueless incompetent soviet-minded commanders sent our donated stuff right into minefields in broad daylight pulling a page right out of the retarded soviet communist russian playbook losing a huge chunk of their western hardware on the very first day without achieving anything and instead setting the tone for what would become a huge shitshow of an offensive. and now they are panicking because they're about to come up on a whole year with zero progress and they know that they need to show something after 100 billion dollars and a an entire summer of fighting for a couple of unknown villages, so they are freaking out and reverting back to what feels the most cozy and what they are the most comfortable with and what they know best.. good old soviet retardation and trench warfare human wave attack style war of attrition tactics. their big new genius plan is to attempt to outlast and out-dumb and out-russia the russians at their own game and hope that they run out of ammunition and cannon fodder before they themselves run out of ammunition and cannon fodder to throw at the russian lines. just mindless uncoordinated attacks across the entire front with absolutely zero larger goal other than just grabbing whatever chunk of empty field or shitty unknown village that nobody cares about in a desperate attempt to get any gains on the map and have something to show next month when funding runs out hoping that congress will give them another shot and vote to renew the funding.. that's the danger of sending in untrained people that have no idea what they are doing. it doesn't matter what the equipment is. you could have a goddamn flying saucer from area 51, but if you use it like your usual old rusty soviet flying garbage can, it's gonna be a flying garbage can and only be able to get you flying garbage can style achievements and successes. this is why pentagon officials said for over a year that ukraine doesn't need western tanks and aircraft at this stage and can't afford them or maintain them or operate them with any degree of effectiveness given their soviet-minded poorly-trained military that lacks the proper infrastructure and logistics and maintenance to keep these things running. but of course, as always, some genius civilians in the white house and state department decided to get involved and ignore their generals and squeeze them by the balls and force them to humiliate themselves by going back on what they had been saying for a year and suddenly "oh yeah, 4 months of training, perfect, game-changing fourth generation aircraft in ukraine real soon" like something that you would expect straight out of the propaganda department in kiev. it's sad because if we were serious about helping ukraine, the generals and our leaders would ignore zelensky and his propaganda and theatrics and just continue to provide what everyone knows the ukrainians need.. things that actually make a difference on the battlefield but that might not be as fancy. meaning insane amounts of artillery shells, ammunition for the high mobility rocket artillery system, more man-portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles like javelins and TOWs and stingers, precision-guided munitions that are simple to use like excalibur rounds and those british cruise missiles, the more fancy versions of JDAMs like the extended range or laser-guided ones for the rare times when the ukrainian air force is able to launch them given that they usually have to hug the trees and fly underneath power lines which doesn't work for something that glides, more MRAPs and maybe even other "medium" complexity stuff like bradleys since they are plentiful and save lives, those ground-launched small diameter bombs that are fired from the same pods as the high mobility rocket artillery systems, tons of little suicide drones, interceptors for air defense systems, and i guess as much of the modern western air defense systems that can be spared after their guys get the actual proper training order to replace their old soviet junk that is running out of interceptors, and beyond that maybe some things like jammers and counter-battery radars and things of that nature that perhaps they might be able to learn to use over the longer term. most of this stuff isn't fancy or shiny except maybe the patriot air defense systems, but these are what make a difference on the battlefield. this is what changes the course of the war if you can sustain them and provide enough over a long enough period of time until the reds and their worthless monopoly currency goes into toilet paper status and their economy turns into a full-blown stone age vodka breadline economy and they are forced to pull out due to being unable to continue to sustain the 72 hour special goodwill gesture operation.

@nietkees6906

8 ай бұрын

That is important, but a good pilot won't increase your missile or radar range.

@michaelccozens

8 ай бұрын

@@issadraco532 Learn to edit, man.

@michaelccozens

8 ай бұрын

@@issadraco532 Interesting that you seem to assume that such limitations only apply to Ukraine, and not Russia, which currently has aircraft falling out of the sky across the nation for no apparent reason at all.

I asked a former career USAF F-16 pilot friend, a retired Lt. Colonel with over 10,000 hours in the Viper if having the Viper will bring the Ukrainians an advantage and he thinks they will-with high quality training and practice. In some ways he said the airplane is easy to fly and in other ways complicated to employ. Hopefully the first training group are experienced pilots that will make the transition much easier

@user-McGiver

8 ай бұрын

I came to say just this... but listening Alex... they don't get Vipers... but what they get can be upgraded to Vipers, the point is, are they?... A Viper upgrade would be awesome, but how long would it take to be approved?... it's a stupid thing all around and after the war, there will be a lot of talk about ''delays'' and 'reasons''... Anyway, Ukraine learn a lesson... never give up your weapons again, and make sure you can offer protection... not ask for...!

@stuartemmanuel3735

8 ай бұрын

The F16s are going to shot down way before they can get airborne either by drones or hypersonics.

@nctrns

8 ай бұрын

After seeing analysts comment on how UA forces deployed Leopards and Bradleys in Zaporizhzhia offensive, I think the shortened crew / pilot training and lack of systematic approach and integration will lead to less than expected performance. If F-16s were to be confirmed back in August last year, and training started around that time, with a more complete "system" delivery, I think it could have made a huge difference.

@user-McGiver

8 ай бұрын

@@nctrns ''anal-ysts'' predicted that Ukraine would fall in a few days!... when the Ukis deployed the Western Armor in Zapo and got kicked they were simply fighting the ''Western way'' but without air support!... so they pulled back and now they innovate ways to fight every day... wanna play the blame-game?../ blame those who are holding Ukraine back!.// blame those who want ruZZia to ''pull out''... blame those who don't want ruZZia to be invaded... blame those who NED ruZZia, so THEY can exist too...

@bluthammer1442

8 ай бұрын

anything they didnt have before will be an advantage. expert opinion or not

RIP to callsign JUICE who is mentioned in this video. Confirmed he passed away today in a mid air collision with another mig29. Glory to the heroes and LONG LIVE UKRAINE 🇺🇦

@simonleonard8154

8 ай бұрын

I just saw that news now. RIP Juice

@JohnSmith-ib1ky

8 ай бұрын

I guess the Juice was squeezed from him. Hahaha😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉

@alfredchurchill2328

8 ай бұрын

@@JohnSmith-ib1ky looks like you’re just bitter he made something of himself and you never have. Cope smarter. Not harder Putler bot boi 👍

@Dan-lg2by

8 ай бұрын

Wasn't a mig 29 was a trainer aircraft

@alfredchurchill2328

8 ай бұрын

@@Dan-lg2by yes, we know this a couple days later

With 42 F16s The Netherlands truly is one of the biggest contributors to the material for Ukraine!

@z_actual

8 ай бұрын

not all of them fly, many are hangar queens used for parts

@alfredchurchill2328

8 ай бұрын

Russia shot down a Boeing 777 full of Dutch civilians. The Dutch have not forgotten. Nor have they forgiven. They have been waiting for payback. Time has come.

@steveofthewildnorth7493

8 ай бұрын

@@z_actual Still a huge dollar outlay for a nation the size of The Netherlands. Even if it is sunk cost since that's money spent long ago and they're replacing them with F-35's anyway.

@z_actual

8 ай бұрын

@@steveofthewildnorth7493 yes it is, it is also characteristic of the rest of Europe as regards NATO. The state of this equipment has been allowed to run down in an uneven manner, and Ukraine will need considerable help to assess the health of and subsequent safety of these airframes, and prepare them for combat use.

@goodputin4324

8 ай бұрын

In return Kiev provides Amsterdam's red light district with new young girls free of charge 😂😂😂

Thank you to the great nations of The Netherlands and Denmark in your massive important F-16 fighter jet donations! They will start to give the air support they deserve!

RIP Juice, the Ukrainian pilot mentioned here was confirmed deceased today. Sounds like a crash, not a KIA situation, but they're investigating it. He was one of their premier pilots.

@tombeers3489

8 ай бұрын

I just saw that earlier today. Kind of stunned since watching this story. Ukraine needs every truly capable pilot like Juice they can get. This a real tragedy for his family and country. But, adversity only makes Ukraine stronger. God bless all the brave people of Ukraine. They will prevail.

@just_a_turtle_chad

7 ай бұрын

Lol

@Picla_Peremohy

7 ай бұрын

Ми повертаємося до життя

A bit out of context but I remember being at Farnborough Air Show in the late 80s. The MIG29 was there as well as the F16. Both pilots pushed their planes to the limit. It was more than impressive from both. A treasured memory.

@forfun6273

8 ай бұрын

Which was more impressive in your eyes at the time? I’d assume you would have an American bias. But the mig-29 on paper seems like a bad ass plane.

@Wahba.

8 ай бұрын

​@@forfun6273honestly if the Mig29 kept getting upgrades like the F16 did it would probably be the better fighter , but currently the F16 has much better avionics and radar systems which makes the Mig 29 better handling obsolete in head to head

@trolleriffic

8 ай бұрын

@@Wahba. At the time the MiG-29 had some impressive features. It could go very fast, even at low altitude and had a high TWR. I think it had an early type of helmet-mounted sight which could be used to lock enemy aircraft and the R-73 IR missiles it carried were much more capable than Western missiles of that era, being able to engage targets at much larger angles off the axis of the seeker as well as being more manoeuvrable. After German reunification, Western experts were able to examine a number of East German MiG-29s along with their weapons and it came as quite a shock that the R-73 was so good. This revelation led in part to a new generation of Western IR missiles with new technologies such as imaging seeker heads and dramatically improved performance.

@Wahba.

8 ай бұрын

@@trolleriffic isn't the Mig-35 an upgraded version of the Mig-29 or am I way off ? they look very similar

@Rex_R_Rodney

7 ай бұрын

​@@trollerifficTWR?

I think the Ukrainians will do alright with them. We've seen that they are extremely motivated to learn and to be totally honest that might be the greatest power there is. They will make mistakes and just like the Leo2 and Bradleys, the F-16 will not be a silver bullet. However, like the Leo2 and Bradleys, I suspect there will be a lot of grateful Ukrainian soldiers and families for our hardware getting them back alive where they otherwise would not.

@fedirbokhovchuk7022

8 ай бұрын

totally agree! thank you from Ukraine

@tervilsnaider3103

8 ай бұрын

F16 will definitely change the war to me due to the fact that Ukraine barely has aircraft they just need to ace these training

@milaro222

8 ай бұрын

The F-16 will only lead to a longer war, more soldiers will die, and their families will be unhappy and poor, no one will be grateful for the f-16, because they are inferior in all respects to Russian aircraft.

@notmyself2533

8 ай бұрын

I think they been frustrated how slow it been to get heavier weapons with all the excuses

@godhimself478

8 ай бұрын

Yeah true and they’ve only lost like 5 Leo 2s so there very good at using these weapons it’s just the western politicians are like hmm how about an excuse as an American it pisses me off

Alex with a very respectable voice in the aviation community. I love Alex's honest opinion and this is why I love Sandboxx

@patrickbec68

8 ай бұрын

Respectable lol. He’s walking encyclopedia of ignorance.

@cahg3871

8 ай бұрын

@@patrickbec68please clarify your opinion-I would like to know what data you used to make that statement.

@MemeManiaYT

8 ай бұрын

@@patrickbec68lmao he said Russia can’t develop air superiority, he fails to mention how different countries have different tasks/ equipments they consider better than the other. It’s like me saying the USA can’t develop advanced air defense system and powerful artillery because they’re superior.

@patrickbec68

8 ай бұрын

@@cahg3871 see my comment elsewhere.

I was with Texas Instruments from 1978 to 1993 before they stupidly sold their defense group to Raytheon. During that time I had the opportunity to work on HARM, Javelin, and TOW programs. I was happy to hear you get it right about HARM's 3 modes of operation. One thing that is not widely reported is that even some of the earliest versions had the ability to fire over the shoulder at targets behind the plane. You also correctly stated that the missile could continue to targets after their radar shut down. This capability was demonstrated in 1986 in the Gulf of Sidra. There was a Russian ship in port and they had advisors on the ground advising the Lybians to shut down their radars when HARM was launched. They got a rude awakening and there were some reports of Russian casualties. Minutes later the dark Russian ship lit up like a Christmas tree to make itself visible perhaps to avoid being targeted as it took no hostile actions. It was an extremely accurate missile. There were pictures showing a 3-4' diameter dish with a hole and fin pattern in the upper left quadrant. Supposed we were tongue in cheek chided for destroying too much govt equipment with our unarmed test rounds. I don't know a lot of other details about HARM as I was involved mainly with test equipment and factory automation but we did receive briefings from time to time. We were told that it was one of the few missile systems that actually saw combat while it was in production. TI actually got an extra contract for 2000 HARM units tor replenish stockpile after heavy usage in Desert Storm.

@Georgi_Slavov79

3 ай бұрын

I wonder if one radar is turned on and a HARM is launched at it and then this radar is shut down and another, more distant,out if range, is turned on, will the missile re-lock on it?So that it is lead away in a HARMless direction and expires before it reaches this other radar.

I still maintain the biggest thing about getting a Western aircraft is access to Western munitions. AIM-120s, the full capability of the HARM, the list goes on. More ease of integrating other European weapons systems like the Meteor. Lots and lots of options, and that's what the Viper is for Ukraine. Access to a whole lot of options.

one of the things that weren't mentioned is the HARM pod combined with the sniper or litening targeting pod, now I am not sure if Ukraine will get access to these pods, but the HARM pod can locate enemy radar sites with precision making it easy to find the precise location with a targeting pod and then relay this location to strike craft to attack it or even just use artillery fire instead

@terrymichael5821

8 ай бұрын

I have no doubt the US/NATO will provide both Lantirn & Litening Pods. USAF/NATO has been switching to more modern Sniper ATPs for a long time now.

@SabreSix1980

8 ай бұрын

I think it's likely they will get these pods from the nations that are going to supply the F-16's. After all they are transitioning to F-35, which has those capabilities integrated, so they won't need them anymore. Same with the weapons for that matter. The Amraams and Sidewinders Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway use are for external carriage, not the models for internal carriage as would be needed on F-35. What I am wondering is if the F-16 Ukraine will get will get a coat of Have Glass V. We know the Danish are applying them to their own F-16's, but I wonder if the Dutch and Norwegian jets will get it as well. That would be a serious advantage imo.

@glibsonoran

8 ай бұрын

Is the meteor/F16 integration program still running? That would be a nice touch.

@Typexviiib

8 ай бұрын

@@glibsonoranim not sure if the blocks of f16 likely to be given would have the radar range to make meteors more useful than amraams

@glibsonoran

8 ай бұрын

@@Typexviiib Meteor, at least by published stats, has twice the "No Escape Zone" range of AMRAAMS (60Km vs 30Km). Not surprising since it is a later design, Both are well within F16's radar range, and this may prove the more important statistic vs maximum range.

I like how you put it to be honest, I was curious which blocks they were getting because it does mean a big ass difference, so good job on letting us know about their missiles and how ours work exactly now and when they get the F-16s. Plus how you explained the 3 modes on the harm system, that'll help them for sure now, plus they'll put the amraam to good use plus the harm, I'm sure once the word is out they'll definitely send out their newest to shoot some down, which sucks but it'll be inevitable that they definitely try, if they succeed I hope the next pilots know exactly where to exact the revenge with harm then a jasm

@bubbeN999

8 ай бұрын

I hope there was at least somewhere in the fine print that peoples "aid for ukraine" will be used as revenge. how bout rebuilding instead of sending million dollar fireworks into innocent peoples homes? just a thought. Ukraine does not have the "cleanest" sleight when it comes to "post invasion behavior"

@GegeDxD

7 ай бұрын

Sandbox honest? 😂 Are you American?

@maltheri9833

7 ай бұрын

​@@GegeDxDAnd proud of it 🤌

It's basically 50+ of block 52 F16s being sent over. It'll allow the full use of AGM88s, enables use OF AIM120-D and AIM9-M, and probably could be used to launch SCALP EG as well. Also opens the door for JASSM. It's going to double the Ukrainian Air Force fleet of combat jet.

@jaccororman3069

4 ай бұрын

The Dutch planes were top of the list equipped with Block 52 upgrades, and their ready state was at 80+ % at all times due to the massive amount of parts and equipment kept by the 312, 313, and 315 squadrons, and trained in the US maintenance teams, read my comment :)

9:49 no variant of the R-73 that is mounted on aircraft is radar guided.

I particularly like you pointing on the gap between official numbers and actual capabilities. It's a thing missing from many analyses about Russia.

@CPTVCAMgmailcom

8 ай бұрын

Amen. People still report Russian claims as irrefutable facts, even after an avalanche of evidence that they DRASTICALLY overstate their capabilities across the board.

@lamwen03

8 ай бұрын

Because it's a wild ass guess.

The Danes and Dutch tend to be very conscientious people I imagine the maintenance and upgrades on their F-16 were done as required.

@Rob_F8F

8 ай бұрын

I don't know anything about Dutch and Danish maintenance efforts so can say nothing about them. That said, Germans are also known for their fastidiousness, however, with decades of defense spending reductions, the German armed forces are generally in pretty rough condition. There may be a cultural imperative to maintain equipment, but if the spare part is not in the depot, all the "trains run on time" focus isn't going to replace it.

@MarcosElMalo2

8 ай бұрын

Maintenance is important, but so are airframe hours. The frames of these aircraft endure a lot of stress over their lifetimes, leading to eventual metal fatigue and failure. When an aircraft reaches its maximum amount of hours, you might as well scrap it or risk pilot lives. I’m pretty sure that Denmark and the Nederland are giving all the viable aircraft, but they were already putting some them into mothballs (which implies minimal maintenance).

@knoll9812

7 ай бұрын

F16 will not be dogfighting su35

Practice makes perfect. That's been standard military doctrine for thousands of years. Thanks for a really good update on a subject that most of us are struggling to understand.

The Viper can use the AGM88 in PB mode where you need to know the general location and type of emitter you go against. HAS mode where you use the harm as a seeker and still have to limit your attack to specific emitter type. EOM mod where the Viper can launch the Harm off bore. If the Vipers are coming with and HTS pod (Harm targeting sys) then it's game changer in SEAD for Ukraine. Also correction, you said by mistake that the R73 is radar guided, it is a HOB IR missile.

@DIREWOLFx75

7 ай бұрын

"Also correction, you said by mistake that the R73 is radar guided, it is a HOB IR missile." No, it is an all-aspect IR missile. "then it's game changer in SEAD for Ukraine." *sigh* Yes, yes and Ukraine will march into Moscow before the end of 2022, we heard that before. And F-16s are magical fairies that can are harder to hit with SAMs than HIMARS, which western SAMs cannot hit at all, and the Russians are completely incompetent, because obviously trashing most of a 700 thousand army with 100 thousand offensively must make the smaller force utterly incompetent oh yay... Maybe stop swalloving the copium so easily?

Netherlands and Denmark stepping up. Well done.

@charleschristner7123

8 ай бұрын

Norway too now.

@IrishCaesar

8 ай бұрын

They know those planes only exist to stop Russian aggression

@hagalazmultiverze3411

8 ай бұрын

Unfortunately, they forgot to add a clause saying, that Mette comes with the planes....

@madanbisht6

8 ай бұрын

​@@IrishCaesar🤡🤡

@charleschristner7123

8 ай бұрын

That would be a clear escalation as female politicians are a weapon of mass destruction.

I have heard that Norway have also added their name to the list of countries preparing to supply Ukraine F-16's. This news will add another 12 F-16's to the current list of aircraft which will bring the proposed number of Ukrainian F-16's squadrons up to 6.

@thotmorgana

8 ай бұрын

They will probably get the airplanes in batches, a few at first and than more later. But more importantly, I heard somewhere that currently only 8 ukrainian pilots are trained on the f16. So more pilots will need to be trained after this batch as well.

@thotmorgana

8 ай бұрын

@@Teutonic_Nobility Lol they already got advanced missiles for these aircrafts before getting the aircrafts themselves. Just look at HARM missiles for a start. JDAM as well etc.

@thotmorgana

8 ай бұрын

@@Teutonic_Nobility Lol they will not be destroyed. From the 150 leopards only 9 got destroyed so far in 12 weeks of assaults with them. Also all Russia's missiles send to Kiev are being consistently shot down. Russia will not be easily able to destroy any f16's. Ofcourse in prolonged warfare some of them will be lost eventually but it will all be worth. Also Ukraine would not get modern artillery, tanks, long range weapons and fighter jets either. They already have the HARM Missiles along with some other missiles. It is only a matter of time till they will get the other missiles.

@ramblingthroughhistory

8 ай бұрын

⁠@@Teutonic_NobilityI mean that can be said for anything ? It’s war shit will be destroyed so what? Also that says that those air bases won’t be defend by air defense, can air defenses fail , of course anything can fail but I don’t think they will all be destroyed just out of now where, second I’ve seen more of a talking point to use them to shoot down missiles and stuff more then dog fighting which could help move around air defenses and or take pressure off, personally I think the option of using as a sort of “air defense” against drones and missiles is better !

@ramblingthroughhistory

8 ай бұрын

I mean it is claimed that those hyper sonic have been shot down with patriot so idk about no defense, and I mean Ukraine will probably get like 30-60ish planes maybe ? so decent number and this might not be the last time F-16s are donated idk if you really thought about that, also its been 18 months at war attrition has not been looking great @@Teutonic_Nobility

I've always heard the Wild Weasels have a higher performance engine so they can lift the pilot's giant brass balls.

The F-16 and F-15 EX can be said to be non-stealth fighter aircraft that have capabilities close to stealth aircraft. To anticipate the limitations and weaknesses of the Russian radar system and missile range, maybe Russia will strengthen the jamming system. Ps : Sorry, English is not my native language, hopefully it's still understandable.

@godhimself478

8 ай бұрын

In short they’ve been upgraded with systems that make on par with stealth besides the stealth

@hunterwilson6703

7 ай бұрын

I can’t wait for the F-15Ex to be fully implemented the originals are my favorite and I was glad to hear they were bringing it back

@DaBurntToaster

7 ай бұрын

LOL the EX? close to stealth? fuck no bud, dont care how much ram you put on that thing, I'll never believe anyone who says that airframe is anything close to stealth

@Rex_R_Rodney

7 ай бұрын

Your English is very good. Ì can't tell you from anyone else. In fact you're awesome.

@godhimself478

7 ай бұрын

@@DaBurntToaster the systems like radar are close to stealth the air frame is not but you clearly don’t know how to read

Awsome video today Alex, your knowledge of all aircraft is impressive, im kind of new to your channel and im not sure if you have done this yet but i would love to see you do a video comparison of the American Apache vs the KA 52 i would love to learn the differences of both aircraft and there weapon sytems...

The main variant going to UA is the F16AM(MLU). The most critical capabilities it brings are NATO standard data links, allowing GBAD & NATO AWACS to guide or target missiles or aircraft interchangeably. I'd say this is indisputably an advantage UA will receive, regardless what they do short of kamikazing lol

@VisheshBangotra

8 ай бұрын

so NATO is joining the war? or Ukraine getting AWACS too?

@DIREWOLFx75

7 ай бұрын

"an advantage" Do you even understand the fact that Russian datalinks are considerably more effective than the Nato-standard? Or the fact that even the Ukraine's old MiG-29s already had datalinks, although the Soviet standard model rather than the drastically improved Russian version which is based on the much better datalink that was developed for the MiG-31. "NATO AWACS to guide or target missiles or aircraft interchangeably" Uh-huh... And the fact that doing so would be a direct declaration of war by Nato against Russia and make those AWACS instantly legal targets for Russia, you ignore that how exactly?

@jdogdarkness

7 ай бұрын

@DIREWOLFx75 ur so clearly a Russian stooge, I'm not even gonna engage with u. Have a good day lol. *#Copium*

@dude3278

7 ай бұрын

​@@DIREWOLFx75LOL okay Russian bot

@DIREWOLFx75

7 ай бұрын

@@dude3278 Neither Rrussian nor a bot. Okay, mr IQ equal to shoesize?

Never heard of this channel before, but this was a damn good middle ground video. We need more of that realistic reporting. Subbed.

Thank you for creating and uploading this one.

Thank you for all of your hard work

What do you think about the retired US pilots that said they would fly for Ukraine, that could change things...... Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦

Thanks for spending the time to create and share this content awareness/perspectives

Alex, I always love your videos and coverage of the situation.

The SU25 has a RWR, it's less detailed but still, it gives the pilot sufficient info to dodge Radar guided missiles both from Air and Ground radar guided threats. What the SU25 pilot meant is that he does not have an IR guided missiles launch warning for heat seekers, that is also the case with the Viper.

@keirfarnum6811

8 ай бұрын

It sounds like the Ukrainian Su25s lack them compared to Russia’s more advanced version. Their RWRs are pretty basic though; it just has lights that light up in whichever direction the threat is coming from and a general indicator of distance. They don’t have screens like NATO planes.

@sarcasticommentator

8 ай бұрын

I don’t think the Ukrainians Su have it. I seen some vids and I can’t spot it where it normally is.

@milanprica7513

7 ай бұрын

​@keirfarnum6811 they don't have screen, but are in some ways superior to western. They give signal strength info, meaning info what threat is closer.

@Picla_Peremohy

7 ай бұрын

@@milanprica7513 якщо ви бачите, як москаль рот ворушить своєю дупою - це заздрить

@jackbutler183

3 ай бұрын

@@milanprica7513Not really true. Even the F14 could semi accurately track active radar missiles and have it displayed on its RWR screen showing relative distance.

Data link is what enables the FULL function of HAARM & other western munitions. Currently, for ex. JDAM & Stormshadow must be programmed on the ground, leaving ALL the flexibility these weapons provide on the table. But now, with F16AM they can be redirected & programmed in fight & even after fired.

Nice work Alex. You kept me all the way through.

These might be fighters which are currently being put out of service by us - however - up till recently the Danish air force have been given a lot of praise for their effectiveness in NATO operations. They seem to be very well kept fighters and they have flown A LOT of missions with very few hickups. Since 1980 we have bought 77 F16s - of which 10 have been lost. This includes everything from combat to training. A direct translation of some facts about the Danish F16 service: "Here you can read more about the Air Force's combat aircraft F-16 Fighting Falcon: * The air force's F-16 aircraft are of the Fighting Falcon type and can both fight against other aircraft in the air and carry out precise bombing of targets on the ground. * Denmark decided in 1975 to buy 58 F-16 aircraft. The first arrived in Denmark in 1980, after which the planes gradually replaced the Air Force's other planes. * Today, Denmark has 40 F-16 aircraft, of which 30 are still in use. * The planes are armed with a 20 millimeter machine gun and also have stations for bombs, rockets and missiles. * The Danish F-16 aircraft have been used in several international operations in the Balkans, in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. * F-16 fighter jets are on duty around the clock to repel unwanted aircraft in Danish airspace or assist aircraft in trouble. * Denmark has decided that the F-16 aircraft must be replaced by the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. * The last Danish F-16 aircraft are expected to be retired in Denmark in 2027. * The first four Danish F-35 aircraft arrive on 1 October. In total, Denmark has purchased 27 F-35 aircraft. " So in essence let's make this ABUNDANTLY CLEAR!: These F16s ARE STILL in service and are daily helping keeping the Russian air force at bay when they make incursions into Scandinavian airspace as part of the "Nordic Air Force" - a force of aprox. 250 F-35, F-16, F-18, and JAS39C/D/E. They are not relics from a museum - nor are they lesser than almost any other aircraft currently serving in NATO. Furthermore the pilots and crews are being trained by our pilots and crews - who knows these fighters inside and out. There is a HUGE advantage to this being the F16 - since our expertise of using these machines of war in actual modern combat is second to non - even the Americans. We were there right next to you - fighting in the same wars and earning recognition from the rest of NATO. What's my point here? My point is this: You keep saying "IF". "IF" the Ukrainians can this or that... I think that's a mute point m8! These pilots and crews are gonna be trained by the best in the world. They WILL make a huge difference - and they WILL use them to their fullest extent as long as they can! And yes you are 100% correct that they will lose some of our F16s in this fight! There is NO getting around that... But can you seriously think of a better sendoff for these magnificent fighters than fighting for the freedom of a sovereign nation which is under attack by overwhelming odds? 1 to 2 SU-27? Hell! Let's make it 1 to 10! Let's make a bet and see who comes closest! Slava Ukraini!

@lonpfrb

7 ай бұрын

🇩🇰 VIKING POWER 🇩🇰

Support will be a major problem, large teams are required to maintain the F16 after each mission. F16 also required long runways which will limit their basing.

@DIREWOLFx75

7 ай бұрын

Yay, FINALLY i find ONE SINGLE person that brings this up. Sheesh, doesn't anyone look at reality? F-16 has massive ground crew and facilities requirements. Essentially, only a rare few of Ukraine's airbases can handle them at all, and only with difficulty. Making them easy targets.

@doithimaceabhard7457

7 ай бұрын

​@@DIREWOLFx75don't ignore that we've been talking about this issue for over a year now. Plenty of time to designate safe airfields and upgrade them appropriately. And the same applies to logistics and maintenance, yes they're obstacles but there are also many trained maintainers over several countries who may join Ukraine as 'advisors' without having to leave their own militaries

@doithimaceabhard7457

7 ай бұрын

Which they've also had over a year to consider and work on

@jonydory622

Ай бұрын

F-16 will be located in Roumania and Poland. You’re to slow

THIS is by far the best analysis about this topic. Amazing work. Appreciate it.

Thanks for laying it out there. As former ECM it will be interesting to see how they use the sleek craft and I know they are brave young men and women supporting the effort! Best wishes and hope for their success! Pray for those in harms way!🎉

nice work on the a/a match up and how the wiring and computers inside will allow for more efficient use of missiles against aircraft and radars. one or two other items to consider--greater availability of weapons that can be supplied (not having to find old soviet stockpiles) from nato/west stores and the more effective use against ground targets due to on board f16 systems (thinking even a few gbu's & tpods might attrit some Russian depots or make combat supply lines more tenuous.

19:10 even though the Su-35S can definitely work better in the one circle due to high AOA and thrust vectoring capabilities, the F-16 has better performance in a sustained turn two circle fight, also thrust vectoring does not usually matter in BVR so in general, a modernized F-16 is equal or better than the Su-35.

@hpb5495

8 ай бұрын

R-37

@CptJistuce

8 ай бұрын

​@@hpb5495"According to Ukrainian pilots the R-37M isn't achieving a lot of "hard kills", the destruction of actual Ukrainian aircraft. However their launch forces pilots to abandon their current missiles and take evasive action." The F-16 brings fire-and-forget options to Ukraine, so that "abandon their current missiles" thing is about to go out the window.

@nietkees6906

8 ай бұрын

In BVR the most modern F-16 is likely better than the SU-35S, but the F-16A MLU that Ukraine will get has a much smaller and older mechanically scanned radar which is definitely inferior the the more modern and larger Russian PESA radar.

@simonleonard8154

8 ай бұрын

​@@CptJistucemission kill vs actually killing aircraft and pilot. Looking forward to more survivable and higher mission success rates in the skies over Ukraine!

@luigimrlgaming9484

8 ай бұрын

@@CptJistuceWhat if they can’t get in range before they’re fired on?

Wow ! Really good Analysis !! Subscribed !!

-- *_Thank you Alex and Sandbox News!_*

I really appreciate your no BS to-the-point approach. Keep up the good work.

In the video snips you have of the SU-25, there is an RWR just to the right of the HUD. They do have a RWR. Reference time stamps at 10:30

@WinnipegCarSpotter

8 ай бұрын

Was looking for this comment lol. What the pilot says is factually correct, he won't get launch indications with his ancient SPO-15, though he most certainly does have an RWR.

@rekxii

Ай бұрын

@@WinnipegCarSpotterModern Su25 like the Su25T and Sm3 have a better RWR that will

An outstanding presentation, great info ! Thanks, Alex.

My best guess is that Ukraine is largely going to use F-16's for SEAD, and ground attack. I seriously doubt they are going to try to get into air dominance fights with Russia if they can avoid it. As mentioned, Russia still has a significant number of jets and anti-air weaponry. So, I think a Ukraine will mostly be setting up sorties where two or three F-16's perform SEAD missions while several more make ground attacks to either blunt a Russian attack, or to disrupt the Russian lines in a small area to allow ground forces to advance. So basically, get in the air and run like hell to a spot on the front lines, keep the ground-based AA quiet, drop some bombs, and leave before Russian jets can intercept. I expect to some missions to intercept Russian missile raids as well, but in general I think most of what the F-16's will be doing is ground attack. I do NOT expect to see F-16's patrolling the skies over Ukraine, waiting for calls for CAS or to chase off incoming Russian KA-52's or SU-24's, or anything like that. I do not expect to see them crossing the border to hunt down Russian jets that get close to launch cruise and ballistic missiles. I do not expect to see them flying out over the Black sea and sinking Russian warships. I do not expect to see them fly down to the Kerch bridge and blow more holes in it. While these are all things the F-16 would certainly be capable of, I think the realities of still being outnumbered and possibly outgunned in the air will make them unlikely. For now, the F-16 is probably a way to attack Russian positions on the front lines that will be way more effective than what the SU-24's can manage right now. For me, the biggest question for me is whether or not Russia will be forced to go after the F-16's in the air and start putting their own aircraft at serious risk again, or if they will continue to stay away from Ukrainian SAMs and hope they can attack the F-16's on the ground rather than in air-to-air combat. I'm really not sure if Russia is more concerned about potentially losing more jets, or seeing their defensive lines broken by aerial bombing. Either way, I think the F-16's are going to make a real difference, but not turn the whole tide of the war.

@luigimrlgaming9484

8 ай бұрын

Spot on, however that still might be very hard for the Ukrainians to do. Russia has been using MiG-31s to fire long range missiles within the safety of their borders to kill Ukrainian aircraft. These long range intercepts could easily kill F-16s if they stick around for too long.

@MarcosElMalo2

8 ай бұрын

Sure, but you need top cover, too. Basically, you need a total package for temporary local superiority. Maybe someone knows how many aircraft it will take to fulfill these roles at the same time.

@timtrewyn453

8 ай бұрын

The Kerch rail bridge is a vital target. So is the road bridge. After some preparatory taxing of Russian AD over days, I can see Ukraine putting a large package of drones, SEAD F16s and F16s with 1000lb bombs together to making a sacrificial (if necessary) attack on the bridge. Russia would have to use the land bridge rail systems more, which the UAF is getting closer to almost daily. Shut down heavy freight to Kherson oblast and Crimea and the Russian military there starts to decay.

@lonpfrb

7 ай бұрын

​@@timtrewyn453Don't forget the Storm Shadow that already has the bridge under threat. Ukraine already knows the RF supply lines and has destroyed the intermediate bridges and depots with Artillery and rockets to put them under critical stress. So very effective with what they already have. Likewise the drone deep fires on remote bases has both reduced reserve replacement and shown that the war is in ruzzia.

@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle

7 ай бұрын

Yes. Take down enemy radar so they can launch cruise missiles at empty C&C, ammo, etc. also enables them to intercept R aircraft on attacks as they will have less AA defense of their own to fly over

Great video once again. I love your content and your presentation of the topics. I was wondering if the US Air Force Weapons School will now develop a "Yellow" Flag for all the newly trained Ukrainian pilots once they're done with their training? That would be vital in giving these Ukrainian pilots some live action and vital experience in the F-16 before they're sent back to the war.

@Picla_Peremohy

7 ай бұрын

That would be Sierra Hotel for them. Most definitely.

Intelligent, balanced reporting - superb as usual. Setting the standard for journalism.

Excellent analysis reinforced by the various quotes from experts. Nice job!

Wow, so notching is actually a tactic against modern missile systems. It's a thing in DCS, and I've always been left wondering if that's something that they built up into something more effective than in real life in order to add additional dynamics to BVR fights..

@thundershirt1

8 ай бұрын

And considering Russia is using a lot of legacy SAMs. Not sure if notching can work well against an S300, tho.

@trolleriffic

8 ай бұрын

@@JimCarner Modern radars probably make notching ineffective. Whether that applies to the S-300 I have no idea, but you couldn't notch an F-35.

I can’t be the only one wondering- what if we gave them just one squadron of F-35s?

@mikebandw186

8 ай бұрын

Then quite quickly we’d lose them and the tech would fall into Russian and Chinese hands.

@georgemcbride7857

8 ай бұрын

@@mikebandw186aside from that fact by the time the training and all the other factors necessary to keep them flying the war will be over.

@mikebandw186

8 ай бұрын

@@georgemcbride7857 I don’t know, it seems like we’ve started another forever war. Maybe we’ve got the time to find out.

@timtrewyn453

8 ай бұрын

A set of young Ukrainian pilots with career intentions should start training on the F35. They will be a part of the UAF that will be needed years from now to deter a second Russian invasion. Ukraine has to assume Russia will be coming hard for Kyiv next time.

Hi Alex, great video again. I'd like you to cover the differences between US and French Air doctrines, if there are? Thank you for very well documented analysis.

Extremely accurate video. The plane isn't the weapon systems, which vary drastically even among birds in the same flight, just like you suggested! The F-16 is a gamer changer, not war winner.

@khanaliqasim1757

8 ай бұрын

Then how is it a game changer ?

@godhimself478

8 ай бұрын

@@khanaliqasim1757long range missiles and bombs

@DIREWOLFx75

7 ай бұрын

@@godhimself478 You mean like Ukraine had at the start of 2022? When they had over 500 operational combat aircraft to use them with? And had about 75% of their airforce destroyed in the first 1-2 months? Despite Russia never deploying more than 500 aircraft against them?

@DIREWOLFx75

7 ай бұрын

"The F-16 is a gamer changer, not war winner." You could give Ukraine 5 times as many F-16 and it wouldn't change ANYTHING. You could give them 500, and all it would do would be to force Russia to start using more of its own airforce to destroy them ASAP. Remember how these F-16s are capable of carrying nukes? And how Russia already have warned that they are going to treat them as nuclear threats? Yeah no, a mere 60 of them isn't going to survive long.

@godhimself478

7 ай бұрын

@@DIREWOLFx75 there Air Force had Shri k considerably since the 90s and only had older Soviet missiles and rockets they did not lose 75% of their airforce in 2 months if they did then they would have no way of fighting in the air and yet they still do I would also love where you got this information pls enlighten us

My greatest worry is not the performance of the F-16 but the logistics which is required. Besides requiring pristine airstrips (which the Ukrainians don't have yet), the F-16 is apparently very needy in terms of maintenance, requiring technicians who undergo years of training.

@andrerothweiler9191

8 ай бұрын

You could teach the basic stuff, like changing oil and maintaining. You don't need to go to school to change tires, or change a seat in your car. However as it get complicated you will bring it to professional

@ecdhe

8 ай бұрын

@@andrerothweiler9191 maintaining a plane is way more complicated than maintaining a car. An F-16 requires 17 hours of maintenance per hour of flight. Some operations require a hazmat suit. And schlepping the planes to Poland after each sortie might be tricky.

@peterfireflylund

8 ай бұрын

⁠@@andrerothweiler9191the F-16 uses hydrazine for its APU. Google those terms. That’s why the other talks about a hazmat suit - he is completely correct.

@andrerothweiler9191

8 ай бұрын

@@ecdhe well there are lots of F16. So yeah

@ecdhe

8 ай бұрын

@@JimCarner all jets hate debris that could be sucked in the reactor at takeoff. A single bolt may mess things up. Soviet/Russian doctrine is to add mechanisms to their planes to avoid this. Western doctrine is to use a small army of people who walk down the runway shoulder-to-shoulder looking for any debris. Furthermore, the fact that the F-16 air intake is below the plane (so really close to the ground) makes it even more prone to suck any debris. It is possible that Ukraine may have a couple of suitable runways. But then they may be a prime Russian target.

Pilot training programs aren't going away after the first class graduates . There are thousands of F-16s.Implementation of F-16s while time consuming is sustainable in significant numbers .

During the Gulf War of 1991, Wild Weasel missions were done by the F4-G Wild Weasel V. Currently, it is the F-16CJ/DJ but for deep strike missions, the F-15E Strike Eagle is used as it is still the fastest thing in the air, today.

@ndenise3460

3 ай бұрын

Not really any faster, but have of gas increases range

@GeoScorpion

3 ай бұрын

@@ndenise3460 The F-15s are still the fastest thing in the air for combat missions.

Great video Alex. It’s an important perspective as some people think that Ukraine getting F-16’s will win the war on their own. Thanks for producing.

Soooo... we're going to start retiring A-10's, starting with a couple dozen next year. Since this war realistically isn't going to end anytime soon, what are the possibilities of us giving them to Ukraine to replace their lost SU-25's? Paired with F-16's flying air cover, they could be a nasty addition Ukrainian forces.

@mustang5132

8 ай бұрын

I’m pretty sure Ukraine has said they didn’t want it. This is understandable since it’s survivability in this extremely contested airspace would just make them more of a liability to their trained pilots. Plus there would have to be even more crews trained to maintain them

@timtrewyn453

8 ай бұрын

@@mustang5132 Ukrainian objectives are pretty straightforward. They have to be developing some idea of the numerical range of sorties needed to achieve those objectives and then establish an effective deterrence to counterattack. I would think Ukraine would be pushing hard to increase its number of pilots to obtain the force multiplying benefits of aircraft. They need to conserve their infantry after the losses suffered. Maybe 42 or 60 F-16s get the job done. I doubt there would be enough left for deterrence. They may have to consider the A-10 because the logistics and the airplanes are still there to have. Maybe they would rather have Apache's after watching what Russian KA-52s can do. In the long run they probably want the Gripen and the F35. Given their precarious circumstances they should asking for NGADs in the long run.

Well done ! Very informative !

Very good, informative and educative video👍 Nothing like uneducated guys speaking of that all the F-16s and Netherlands, Denmarks or Belgium F-16s are the same F-16 blocks and same capabilities or they are new airframes. Very good work. Maybe u can also mention about these F-16s expected air-ground use. You know everybody expect they will be very useful to summer offensive and break the defensive lines. So after Suppressin of Air defenses, they are expected to destroy the defensive lines of trenches, mines, artilleries with weapons like LGBs, Jdams or other weapons staying out of range of shorads. Could u do a video about this, but as good as this one😊😎?

At 16:50 you mention a Ukrainian pilot with the call sign Juice. Unfortunately today it was announced by the Ukrainian MoD that Juice and two other pilots died as a consequence of a collision of two Ukrainian training jets.🙏

Just wondering what your opinion is .... do you think giving Ukraine 30 older Apache helicopters would make a bigger difference than F-16 since they're designed specifically to go after tanks and other armored vehicles?

@t8ntpliscan468

8 ай бұрын

Wouldn't that really depend on the operation at the time? I'm not any sort of expert, but aren't they used in tandem as well?

@garbagemanstacking

8 ай бұрын

@@t8ntpliscan468 I'm no expert either but I'm just thinking the two biggest threats that the ukrainians are dealing with right now are landmines and armored vehicles

@t8ntpliscan468

8 ай бұрын

@@garbagemanstacking I see, now. I wasn't really in that line of thought. Makes sense

@nietkees6906

8 ай бұрын

Helicopters have proven to be very vulnerable in this war. They wouldn't be able to operate over enemy territory and thus don't have many opportunities to hit tanks.

Dear Alex Hollings- I simply love your content … awesome analysis of the F16. I was an airframe, hydraulics and flight control specialist in the USN RA5C Vigilante intelligence community. We called ourselves the Heavies because the RA5C was able to carry a big nuke and they were massive for an aircraft carrier deployed plane. I was in heavy 3 (RVAH-3) which was a Replacement Air Group (RAG) and we trained the fleet. The nuclear mission was transferred to the submarine fleet early on and they all were transformed into an intelligence gathering platform and I don't think the Vigi's ever carried any weapons in combat even though there were ways to do it. The Vigi’s were used extensively in Vietnam for target acquisition and bomb damage assessment and took the most losses, more than any other Navy type (18). The aircrews were "unarmed and unafraid". After the war I joined the Navy and joined the RVAH3 CA 1977 the Vigi’s were tasked with many interesting missions including reconnaissance and mapmaking. I think you would be surprised to know that the Vigi's were the first to have an onboard flight computer, and 1st fly by wire Mach 2.1 platform. They had no ailerons, no rudder and no elevators and were one of the heaviest aircraft to ever fly on a aircraft carrier. The Vigilante set an altitude record of 91,450 ft and broke the previous record by 5 miles which held for 13 years until the MIG 25 Foxbat broke it. I have never seen a deep dive into these cold war relics and believe it would be an awesome subject for Sandboxx and your analysis. So I respectfully request that you consider doing a segment on them. Thank you -- Bobby Harker

@georgemcbride7857

8 ай бұрын

Super interesting and informative. Yhanjs

You always do an amazing job. Thank you

I love Alex’s reporting and analysis.

Great thought-out video, as usual. You're right in that a lot of this will come down to the training of the pilots. Which is why, imo anyways, America has now agreed to help train them. We don't want to see our Vipers shot down any more than they do. I don't think they'll have any trouble avoiding the Mig-31 "hypersonic" missiles due to the RWR in the F-16 making it super easy to notch them. Overcoming a notch requires very advanced seeker tech that even our missiles aren't reliably capable of, and that "hypersonic," fat, telephone pole the Mig-31 is firing can't turn for squat. Plus, the longer the range, the easier it is to notch something. That missile, and the antique Mig-31 it's riding on, are more for shooting down AWACS, tankers or B-52s and B-1s. I also don't think the Su-35's thrust vectoring will even be a factor in this fight. This is going to primarily a BVR fight where both aircraft dance around the MAR and lob missiles at each other till they run out and decide to go home to get more. Both sides can't afford to get into the 50/50 chance, kill or be killed scenario that is a 'merge' because they don't have a way to replace the aircraft quickly, or at all, in some cases. That being said, if a merge DID happen, it would come down to the training of the pilots. The Su-35 is a deadly plane during the first few seconds of a merge IF it sticks to a single turn, meaning nose-to-nose, dogfight due to its thrust vectoring and high off-bore sight Archers. But that only lasts for a short time because that type of fight with thrust vectoring in a plane as big as the Su-35 bleeds off energy extremely quickly. The Su-35's got about 2, maybe 3 turns to score a hit. After that, the aircraft usually has lost too much energy and can't maintain the 1 circle fight. At which point the Su-35 starts to feel like a bus, compared to the F-16 that continues to feel like a Porsche. That doesn't mean it's still not deadly and can't still win. But, if the F-16 sticks to trying to push the two-circle fight, and doesn't take the bait and try to go nose-to-nose, the F-16 will win the dogfight almost every time. If the F-16 can keep to its type of fight, a "rate" fight, it can win a merge with any other fighter in use today EXCEPT the F-22. Of course, this is based solely on data analysis and simulations on my part, though I do know the US Navy has participated in training dogfights against the Su-35 in F/A-18s where they reported they were victorious in about 60% of the scenarios. Unfortunately, I have no data from similar practices done by F-16s against the same plane. And remember, this is just my estimation based on the data we do have from simulations, and the official information Russia has revealed... which we now know a lot of which is complete bulls***. The biggest game changer the F-16 brings to Ukrainian pilots, though, is the RWR. Which again, you were absolutely right about. That will turn this completely one-sided air fight into a nearly even one. You can't have a BVR fight with an enemy that has a radar that is 2-3 times more powerful than yours, and likewise much longer range missiles. The RWR will save so many pilot's lives, and actually give them a fighting chance in the BVR fight that Ukraine is already trying to fight with both hands tied behind their back and blindfolded. Now they'll at least be able to see the punches coming, and even throw back some of their own. Also, I know from my own personal experience, and from what we have observed so far, Ukrainians are VERY quick studies when motivated, and will likely excel at adapting to the F-16 just like everything else they've been given.

@ronblack7870

8 ай бұрын

you only consider fighter against fighter. ukraine has a much bigger problem against russian helicopters. they have recently upgraded to a new missile with 30 km range to use against ukrainian armor. the F-16's will be able to take those on easily .

@luigimrlgaming9484

8 ай бұрын

I think there’s barely been any kills from WVR combat during this entire war. They stopped doing WVR after the first few months and settled for this game of cat and mouse. A dogfight is never going to happen unless Russia wants some propaganda or something.

@georgemcbride7857

8 ай бұрын

Sincerely appreciate your analysis.

O-M-G! Alex, this video montage is like Air Force PORN!😁 If I didn't need one to fly, I'd give my right leg to do what they do flying in this vid. You've got great source material!

A Great video, thx Alex

greatvideo and fun to watch!

Bravo Netherlands and Denmark!

Ukraine is not fighting for independence. Ukraine is independent. Ukraine is fighting to protect its borders.

@BrainFuck10

8 ай бұрын

Nope! America OWNS Ukraine! It’s a puppet state just look at the money trail…they’re not independent at all.

@tarmaque

8 ай бұрын

Ukraine is fighting to repel invaders.

@Cryosxify

8 ай бұрын

gotta squash those cockroaches

"it's junk." Truly professional assessment right there.

That is absolutely incredible!!! Absolutely amazing job from the cabin crew, pilots, not to mention the crew on the other plane for the work they had already done. Incredibly sad for the families that lost someone but it could have been so much worse! And a huge well done to the engineers to the plane.

Thanks Alex, the info and commentary is always informative and thought provoking. Hit the Like Button folks, it will help more folks to find this excellent resource.

No mention of the HARM Targeting System or the datalink capabilities with NATO AWACS flying in Poland or in the Black Sea... two big oversights in the improved situational awareness the Viper has.

Good work Alex🖤🏴‍☠️ thank you for your service.💙👀

4:19 That's one of the best qoutes I've seen during the war. It's that way with all equipment, doctrines are different across the globe.

Another great video Alex. Thanks for all your hard work. I have a question wouldn't the A-10, F-16 be a good combination for Ukraine's push next year? They should have two teams training on both aircraft. I am sure there are enough english speaking translators to help the new people adjust while they train. I want US to increase the behind the scenes efforts and training.

@Appletank8

8 ай бұрын

Eh, they’re already a pain for their original owners to repair, and they can only really safely operate with strong air cover. I don’t see much point.

@Typexviiib

8 ай бұрын

I cant see a10s surviving very long with all the manpads

@jerrywatson1958

8 ай бұрын

@@Appletank8 The F-16's are the air cover. If you watch one of Alex's previous videos on how the A-10 can be used as a flying weapons platform behind the front. It is not for dog fighting and they are tough as hell. Russian manpads are in short supply.

@jerrywatson1958

8 ай бұрын

@@Typexviiib They survived Iran and Iraq. They are not invincible but do a lot of damage on the field of battle. Besides Russian manpads are in short supply. They seem to have a chip supply problem.

@Appletank8

8 ай бұрын

@@jerrywatson1958 The amount of maintenance needed to keep A-10s flying gives off the impression that their toughness is now heavily coated in rust. Why are you tasking an A-10 to do what the F-16 can already do, and simplify logistics?

16:32 The Su-25 does have a RWR but it sucks and there's no detection for IR missiles / Manpads making these missiles deadly

@mustang5132

8 ай бұрын

Yeah and You can literally see it in the cockpit footage in this video

@steveofthewildnorth7493

8 ай бұрын

@@mustang5132 I wonder if that's stock footage of Russian SU-25's and the RWR was an add on after Ukraine inherited theirs?

@elektro860

8 ай бұрын

@@steveofthewildnorth7493 at the end of the day it's still a good upgrade since you actually know what type of radar is pinging / locking you

@mustang5132

8 ай бұрын

@@steveofthewildnorth7493 no that’s how the cockpit of an Su-25 looks like. It’s nothing special

Thanks. !! Well Done !

"...there's a veritable ton of variables" That's a very good line, Alex.

Introduction: After over a year of requests, Ukraine is set to receive F-16 Fighting Falcons to aid against the ongoing Russian invasion. The Netherlands plans to transfer 42 F-16s, and Denmark has promised 19 more. While this is a victory for Ukraine, it's essential to understand the capabilities and limitations of these jets. Analysis Challenges: The topic is vast, and it's challenging to condense the information. There are many variables, including the specific systems on the F-16s and their varying capabilities. F-16 Capabilities: The F-16s will be a significant upgrade from Ukraine's current fleet of Soviet-era Mig-29s and Su-27s. The F-16s have better radar and missile systems, offering a significant increase in capability. Training and Usage: While Ukrainian pilots are being trained to operate the F-16s, achieving the same level of proficiency as American pilots will take time. The effectiveness of the F-16s will also depend on how they are used in combat. Russian Air Doctrine: Russia's approach to air warfare is different from the West. They view air power as an extension of ground forces. The video suggests that Russia's doctrine is more about mitigating its strategic and tactical shortcomings rather than a different approach to warfare. F-16 vs. Russian Aircraft: The F-16s, especially with the AGM 88 high-speed anti-radiation missile, will be better equipped for suppression or destruction of enemy air defense compared to Ukraine's current jets. However, the F-16s might still be outclassed by some Russian fighters, like the Su-35, on paper. But real-world performance can differ from paper specifications. Potential Losses: It's likely that some F-16s will be lost in the conflict. However, the provision of F-16s to Ukraine is a significant show of global support. Russian media will likely try to diminish any F-16 losses to undercut global support for Ukraine. Conclusion: While F-16s are capable aircraft, the war involves more than just fighter jets. Winning the war will require more than just these aircraft.

@maeton-gaming

8 ай бұрын

CONCLUSION: Its not just the platform, its the operator ;) And no matter of CIA powered high speed training can trade for the absolute tens of thousands of hours spent practicing the myriad scenarios that can arise as you attempt to out-OODA loop that enemy fighter ;) half a year ago, any "advantage" that NATO weaponry and platforms was utterly wiped away in my mind. Its operator vs operator out there. In real conditions, any technological advantage has been heavily degraded, and this fact simply cannot be ignored.

@heathwirt8919

8 ай бұрын

@@maeton-gaming "half a year ago, any "advantage" that NATO weaponry and platforms was utterly wiped away in my mind." This proves you lost your mind and everything you said is BS or just very wishful thinking.

@timtrewyn453

8 ай бұрын

@@maeton-gaming See Air Force Manual 11-2F-16. Normal training time on the F16 is 12 months, followed by 4 months training in SEAD or other specialized missions. It's hundreds of hours, not tens of thousands. The normal training pace would be 8-hour days, five days a week. Depending on those involved, that pace can be stepped up.

@trolleriffic

8 ай бұрын

@@maeton-gaming 18 months ago any belief I had that the Russian military could challenge the West evaporated in spectacular fashion when I saw video after video of Russian equipment getting wiped out or just abandoned on the battlefield because they ran out of fuel due to Russia's inability to do logistics.

Another informative video, thank you. Although we must keep the introduction of the f16 in proportion, I believe that its added capabilities combined with Western intelligence will give the Ukrainians an edge when flying over their own territory. Those (over rated) S300/400 systems cost a fortune and I have no doubt that their destruction will be the No.1 priority for Mr Harm. How did the Pantsir systems perform in Syria? They got swatted very effectively as will the S300/400's.

Now, they're getting the M-1. I was an M-1 turret mechanic in the mid-late 80's. Let that sink in.

Thanks Alex

Great video, thanks! I think it's also worth noting that, as with the Leopards and 155mm systems, one big advantage for Ukraine is going to be access to the wealth of F16 parts, fuel, weapons, facilities, and know-how that allied nations can offer. Ukraine's had to husband their already-limited resources very carefully so far, as it's not like Russian manufacturers are going to sell to them to refill their stocks. With the F16s, those limitations disappear. And while I'm sure Russia will send some of the best of what they have left in order to try to snipe F16s for the propaganda victory (seems to be one of Putin's biggest concerns), it's important to remember that "what they have left" isn't a lot. The toll on Russia's elite forces, especially in the wake of the failure of their initial sneak-attack decapitation strike, has been severe. The VDV basically doesn't exist anymore. The entire pre-war operational fleet of T80s has been wiped-out. The First Guards Tank Army is history. Can't imagine the Russian Air Force, with its continued failure to secure air superiority over a much smaller and much inferior Ukrainian force, has fared much better. If Ukraine continues to display the rationality and ingenuity that has seen them humble the Russian bear so completely to this point in their operation of the F16s, chances are they're going to have a lot of victories to show in not too long of a timeframe.

Very informative video answering many of my questions. Thank you. Glory to Ukraine 🇺🇦

@user-oe6uq7pc8o

7 ай бұрын

Do you know where is Ukraine on the map? 🧐

Extremely informative..!

I'm very pleased with you in death knowledge and research. You always do a balanced review. Thank you for the truth and work you do. You as an announcer... you speak very clearly and have a great (radio / TV voice). Please keep up your great work. I'll keep watching. I have no idea how you get all of the video you show, but great job. Blessings to you from s.carolina usa

one of the big problems ukraine faces in the counteroffensive is russian helicopters being able to launch missiles from 15 km away hitting tanks and other armor. the F-16's will be able to help with that immensely.

@user-oe6uq7pc8o

7 ай бұрын

🤣👍

Thank you Alex 👍

Thanks for the analysis done in a way that provides background for further thought. In addition to their use in wild weasel strikes, how might Vipers contribute to attrition of Russian forces and capabilities?

Thanks for the great video. As usual top shelf. Now my request is where are the GLSDB at in Ukraine?

Thanks. Good balanced assessment.

THANKS…Alex 👌

Love your competent, balanced approach. Great content, as usual.

Great video thanks 😊

Correction: At 19:54 you say the "F-16s that Ukraine are going to get" will have AN/APG-68. That's not true. The AN/APG-68 is the radar on the F-16 C/D. The F-16 A/B MLU (that was used by Denmark, Netherlands and Norway) uses the APG-66(V)2A. Having a detection range of about 160km. Overall they're still going to be at a disadvantage against russias MiG-31s, but the AIM-120 is going to close the gap. You've mentioned the HARM and the AIM-120 (where the greatest advantage is that an F-16 firing an AIM-120 won't need to maintain radar lock, unlike the R-27), but there are several other advantages. a. Greater air-to-ground radar capability, giving Ukraine a better ability to counter Ka-52 helicopters. b. Greater capability with other programmable munitions like the JDAM. c. Ability to use several munitions that have yet to be provided to Ukraine, for example the F-16 can fire JASSM (one of US air-launched cruise missiles. And the US has older JASSM in great numbers and are replacing it with a newer version).

It will also have a major effect on the Black Sea. Some of them can carry the Harpoon. The HARM and the Harpoon can make a good 1-2 punch when it comes to ships. If they also get the JASSAM then they really have a way to make the Russians' life hard. Will some get shot down? Probably. The F-16s in Ukraine will be fighting without AWACs or Rivit Joint support. That will make a big difference in how well they can work. It will be interesting if the APG68s they get have been updated to the V10 mode. That is the current version, in US service. They are being replaced by the SABRE system right now so a few of them might be sitting around that could be used for updating the planes Ukraine gets.