Ukraine is waiting for its F-16s. These jet fighters and their future pilots are still being readied. But what will they use for ammo?
The Netherlands is one of the countries that decided to donate its F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Ukraine is eagerly waiting for them, the pilots are already being trained and the first batch of the Fighting Falcons should be in Ukraine in the coming months.
But a fighter jet without weapons is just a very fast plane. Defense Minister of the Netherlands Kajsa Ollongren announced that the country is buying a package of weapons for the F-16s donated to Ukraine for 150 million euros. In addition, 200 million euros will be allocated for reconnaissance drones.
F-16 firing an AGM-65 Maverick missile in training. These missiles have a range of about 22 km. Image credit: TSGT MICHAEL AMMONS, USAF via Wikimedia
One of the more important weapons that the Ukrainian F-16 will receive will be air-to-surface missiles, especially the ones designed for close air support. Part of that package is believed to be the American AGM-65 Maverick missiles, which are quite common, very effective and battle-proven.
The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-surface missile that entered service back in 1972, featuring a modular design that allows the use of different warheads and guidance systems depending on mission requirements. The Maverick was designed for close air support, which means that it doesn’t have a very long range. It flies only for around 22 km before hitting the target. These missiles primarily target armoured vehicles, such as main battle tanks and self-propelled howitzers.
The F-16 can carry up to six Maverick missiles. The length of one of those missiles is about 2.4 m, the diameter is 30 cm. The Maverick rocket reaches 1150 km/h and has an electro-optical, IR-seeking or laser guidance system. Although Maverick has been in service for a very long time, these missiles have been updated many times and are very precise. Those six missiles fired by an F-16 are likely to hit six targets.
The defenders of Ukraine are going to use their F-16 fighter jets to defend the country’s skies. They will shoot down cruise missiles, they will try to continue to destroy the planes bombing the Ukrainians with gliding bombs.
But attacks on ground targets will also be very important. The AGM-65 Maverick has been in use for a very long time and is not very expensive. It has proven its advantages in more than one war, and can help burn many Russian tanks and artillery systems.
It is still not clear when Ukraine will get its first batch of F-16s. Some people forecast it is going to happen this summer. However, it will not be announced and the weapons used by them will not be discussed publicly.
Written by Povilas M.
Sources: Tech.wp.pl, Wikipedia