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One of the ideas to defend Ukraine against enemy air attacks is to create a system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome.
However, considering the complexity of the current situation and the overall length of the country’s border and its area, covering the entire Ukraine in air defense installations does not seem a feasible undertaking.
F-16 aircraft in Myrhorod, Ukraine, 2011. Illustrative photo from open sources via Defense Express
According to a recent comment from Yuriy Ihnat, spokesman for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the creation of something similar to the Iron Dome over the coming years is simply physically impossible. This would require too much equipment and resources. In this regard, getting F-16 fighter jets is a much more realistic scenario, Ihnat noted.
“In the coming years, we will not create any ‘dome’ over the entire territory of Ukraine – this is physically impossible, because it is simply impossible to install air defense systems along such a length of our borders and cover strategically important facilities in the middle of the country. This should be a huge amount of equipment, it is incredibly expensive, it requires a huge state and human resource, in particular,” Yuriy Ihnat said in his speech Tuesday, January 3.
For now, there are no ongoing talks about the possibility to supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces with F-16s.
Certainly, a country-wide air defense system could be built, but it would take a significantly longer time than establishing an entire logistics network dedicated to maintaining modern jets permanently stationed within the country, plus a pilot and technical personnel training system.
That is why Ukraine’s primary aim is to strengthen its air defense using military multi-purpose jet aircraft. Here, F-16 is the most desirable candidate due to the best combination of its technical features, operational performance, and economic costs.
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