The Ukrainian Air Force shows off its F-16 fighters, revealing some details

@DefAviation ES 8·04·2024 · 18:12 0

August 4th marks the Day of the Ukrainian Air Force, an ideal date to present its new fighter aircraft.

The first photo of an F-16 fighter with Ukrainian insignia and the details it has revealed
This will be the first 42 F-16 fighters that Ukraine will receive, their versions and their weapons

Ukraine has long been asking its Western allies for fighter jets. The request was met by several countries with announcements of deliveries of F-16 fighters that had already been withdrawn from service. The F-16 deliveries would be as follows:

• 42 F-16 from the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
• 32 F-16 from the Hellenic Air Force.
• 30 F-16 from the Belgian Army Air Component.
• 19 F-16 from the Royal Danish Air Force.
• 6 F-16 from the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

Ukraine could thus end up receiving up to 129 F-16s of the F-16AM and F-16BM MLU Block 15 versions, equivalent to the F-16C and F-16D, respectively. It is a force that will have a great impact in its fight against the Russian invaders, because although the F-16 is a fighter with many years of experience, it remains an excellent multi-role combat aircraft.

Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky officially presented the first Ukrainian F-16s in a video in which he is seen giving a speech alongside several F-16s at an unidentified airbase (the video is in Ukrainian, you can activate automatic subtitles in English in the bottom bar of the player):

As you may recall, in February we saw the first unofficial photo of a Ukrainian F-16. That plane had the Ukrainian cockade behind the cockpit and the national emblem with the Tryzub (the trident) on the tail.

The first detail of the Ukrainian F-16s that appears in the video published today is precisely the Tryzub on the tail of one of these fighters:

We also see the Ukrainian cockade on the port wing of one of the F-16s:

However, the F-16s shown today do not carry the cockade behind the cockpit, unlike the aircraft we saw in February:

These planes appear with blue protection on their air intakes and covered with camouflage nets. In the video, the F-16s do not show serial numbers. They may have been blurred so as not to provide details to the Russians.

This image shows one of the F-16s with two 370-gallon (1,564-liter) external fuel tanks on the inner underwing pylons.

Additionally, the images show AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles on the outer underwing pylons and, finally, AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles on the marginal mounts.

Here we can see the weapons configuration in more detail. The intermediate underwing pylons is a Pylon Integrated Dispensing System (PIDS), very common on F-16s and which includes an enemy missile launch warning system and a countermeasures dispenser to avoid missiles launched against the F-16. Unlike the aircraft shown in February, these F-16s do not carry AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening target designator and do not show air-to-surface weapons. Surely Ukraine has not wanted to show them in order not to give clues about the kind of armament that these aircraft could use in their attack and close support missions.

Here we see the cockpit of a single-seat F-16AM. The warning signs are all in English, which is common for these aircraft.

Another frontal view of the cockpit. On the right we see the exit hole of the M-61 Vulcan 20 mm rotary cannon, located on the port side of the fuselage, next to the cockpit, and with a hopper with 511 rounds.

Two F-16AMs in flight, both with the same armament configuration we just saw.

One of the F-16s taking off. This image shows a different armament configuration, with AIM-9 short-range air-to-air missiles on the marginal mounts and on the outer underwing pylons.

This afternoon, the Ukrainian Air Force released this photo of one of the F-16AMs, with AIM-9s on its outer underwing pylons and AMRAAMs on its marginal mounts. The background of the photo is pixelated to not reveal details about its location.

The Ukrainian Air Force has also released this video of two F-16AMs flying over the presentation event attended by the country's president:

Official Statement: F-16s in Ukraine! pic.twitter.com/llTh7QQoy5

— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) August 4, 2024

I wish the Ukrainian pilots much success in combat with these aircraft. Their presence will mark a turning point in the air war over Ukraine.