F16 fighter jets as game changers in the Russo-Ukraine War Raging battles

On July 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky officially announced that Kyiv received the first batch of F-16 fighter jets, marking a "new chapter" in the long-term Russo-Ukraine war. Since the outbreak of war, Kyiv urged the Western allies to provide it with more fighter jets and helicopters in order to tackle Russia's superiority in the air, however, due to the earlier hesitant of allies to provide Ukraine with more sophisticated weaponry to avoid a deeper confrontation with Russia.

However, Russia's advancements in 2024 amid Ukraine's depleting military resources emboldened the United States (U.S.) and European partners to start supplying Kyiv with additional lethal weapons. As such, deploying F16s could be a crucial point for Kyiv at this stage. The American-made F-16 is an iconic fighter jet that’s been the front-line combat plane of choice for the NATO alliance and numerous air forces around the world for 50 years. In addition, a number of Ukraine’s European allies have pledged to send F-16s to Ukraine.

For almost the entire year of 2023, the Western allies restrained from giving a green light regarding F-16 exports as criticism mounted on the Ukrainian side. As such, President Joe Biden gave the go-ahead in August 2023 for used F-16s to be deployed to Ukraine, though the U.S. won't provide any of its own planes. Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway have committed to providing Ukraine with more than 60 of them over the coming months in what could be a slow trickle of deliveries. The fighter jet coalition also pledged to help train Ukrainian pilots and technical staff to operate the jets. It is unclear whether the trained Ukrainian pilots will be able to use combat aircraft immediately or the process will take longer.

Nevertheless, some experts are sceptical regarding the F16's potential role in changing the balance of power in the war in favour of Ukraine, given that it took too long to deliver fighter jets. Moreover, Russia's steady territorial gains cast a shadow on Kyiv's commitment to continue the fight until full victory over Moscow. In this regard, Ukraine’s recent operations in the Black Sea against the Russian navy and most recent incursion into the Kursk region seem like a rational choice. Kursk Oblast lies on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, which has been experiencing daily attacks since Russian troops were pushed out of the oblast and back across the border in April 2022.

Ukraine’s ultimate goal is obviously not to invade Russian territory but to pull out the Russian forces from that region, thus preventing a potential Russian offensive in this direction. Around 1,000 Ukrainian troops rammed through the Russian border on August 6 with tanks and armoured vehicles, covered in the air by swarms of drones and pounding artillery. In addition, Kyiv's decision to enter the Kursk region is likely a part of a bigger plan to distract the Russian forces alongside the border area. Undoubtedly, the assault is already being presented by the Kremlin as evidence as to why it should continue to wage its war against “Ukrainian invaders.”

The appearance of F16s could decrease Ukraine’s human losses in light of Russia’s brutal missile attacks on civilian infrastructure. Although the arrival of F16s to Ukraine stirred debates in pro-governmental circles of Russia, the Kremlin stated that “they are ready to shoot F16s anyway.” Indeed, Russia is confident that new fighter jets will not give Ukraine an upper hand in this bloody war as they maintain human and air superiority despite Western supplies.

However, another significant moment about F-16s is that Ukraine is tight-lipped about the weaponry that its F-16s will be equipped with, as well as the targets of the aircraft. They could likely carry longer-range missiles, giving Ukraine a more remarkable ability to strike Russian forces that are occupying swathes of the south and east of the country.