F-16 will be best way to counter Russian guided bombs - Air Force
Russian invaders are increasingly attacking Ukraine with guided aerial bombs. Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat told how air defence forces are countering the threat.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Channel 24.
He explained that a sufficient number of long-range air defence systems can counter Russian guided bombs - Patriot or SAMP/T air defence systems could provide range control of up to 100 kilometres in the occupied territories from which the attacks are carried out.
"But F-16s are the best. It is unlikely that we will be able to fight bombs, and the Su-35 or Su-34 that launch them would be quite capable of handling an F-16 with air-to-air missiles of up to 180 kilometres, which are in service with the US army. Then this missile could deter and discourage them from flying so close to our borders," said the Air Force spokesman.
Ihnat noted that Ukraine currently does not have the necessary number of defences that could affect Russia's use of aerial bombs. However, the Ukrainian military is trying to influence them by means of electronic warfare.
"But it flies fast, it has mass. Even if you shoot it down obliquely, it will still fly. There are no other options. A bomb launched from 10 to 12 kilometres at a speed of 1,000 or 1,500 thousand km/h spreads its wings and just plans. Thanks to the wings, inertia allows it to fly further," he added.
The spokesman explained that the distance from the launch site to the arrival site is about 70 kilometres. Enemy planes do not fly close to the line of contact to drop bombs, as Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile systems may be waiting for them. Therefore, the Russians launch bombs from a distance of 50 kilometres, and the bomb can fly 20-30 kilometres into Ukraine.
Ihnat noted that the Nazis launched the first bombs on the Beryslav district of Kherson region, which were designed like the American GBU-62, equipped with a JDAM-ER control unit. The occupiers have also increased the number of bombings: previously there were 2 to 10 per day, but now the numbers have increased to several dozen.
