F-16 vs.-10: Why with Western fighters Ukraine wins war in the air

The military enlightener Alexander Karpyuk explains the difference between generations of military aircraft, why Ukraine is such important F-16, and most importantly-why Russia can do nothing about it. Aviation of different generations, a modern battlefield, and why F-16, not A-10. And let's discuss. Immediately I am not an expert, I can be wrong, and I will be very grateful if real experts will be corrected in some issues.

In the post we will try to understand what 3-6 generations of aircraft are, why we focused on the F-16, what the air battle of the future will look, and what the Russian Federation will never be that the 5 generation aircraft, and even 4 has not come out. Military aircraft are now accustomed to dividing by generations, but few understand what it means.

I will try to tell a simple professional language about the difference between generations and aircraft functions, and to understand the prospects of the Russian Federation. 1-2 generations we will immediately discard, and immediately representatives of this generation are MiG-21, Su-24/25, F-4, F-111, A-10. And so, let's go to Vietnam's war. How did 3 generations fought? The general battle looked like this.

The bombers had to fly low to enter the objects protected by rocket air defense and keep the anti -aircraft gun shot. When the bomber is at height, it should have enough speed to blame from the fighter. Large wings with a large number of suspensions do not help at supersonic speeds, so the bomber had to be able to put wings and jump with folded wings for the sound speed. Of course, suspensions were also able to change the angle of placement on the wing. And this is a very complex mechanics.

This is how the F-111 appeared. The plane that could fly over the relief had developed wings, complex equipment and high cost. It was from him that the Su-24 was copied. Badly copied, by the way. If you take the fighting of fighters, then in the sky above Vietnam met F-4 and MiG-21. The battle looked like this. Two planes approach until their radars fix the enemy.

Then rockets are released by performing a counter -missile maneuver (all of them were not at such a great distances as it was now, the capabilities of those radars and missiles were much more modest). And when both planes were released through the rocket, they performed an anti -rocket maneuver and here you are already close, and the maneuverable battle begins, or as it is called pilots - a dog duel.

There is already the task of the pilot - to twist his opponent to stand in his tail and shoot the target from the guns. After the Vietnam War in the United States, the Concept of Air Battle was developed by a group of pilots/air experts called Fighting Mafia. These people changed the F-X concept to LWF, which led to the emergence of you known F-16, F-22, F-35. First, the aircraft proved to be universal, small and inexpensive, unlike F-1111 or F-14.

Radars and missiles were modernized, and the distances of detection/lesions became very large. That is, a pilot with a more efficient radar and a rocket could see the target before, let the rocket and, turning on, give on the outflow, evading the possible counter start of the rocket. The rockets became so long -range and effective that they studied the need to remove the gun from the aircraft, they looked so ineffective.

In conclusion, the guns were left at the request of the pilots, because the guns were the second chance when refusing radars. But a powerful radar is also a powerful radiation. And if you fly with powerful radiation, then everyone knows about you without air defense, you just identify the means of electronic intelligence. This is how the aircraft operated in the mode of the radar off. But then how to understand where the opponents, if you turned off the radar? But for this there are planes DRLV.

The same A-50U, or SAAB 340 AEW & C (ACS 890). They should fly a long distance by air-air/air-air rockets and transmit data to the fighter, and not only. The DRLV plane is the 4th generation fighter radar. Let's summarize. What is the difference of 3 and 4 generations? 3 generations should be relied on by its radar and rockets, he is one in the field.

4 generations are already working for the goals that DRLV and other operational awareness systems, for example, air defense (and so, are now being knocked out by C-300-C-400 and A-50 aircraft). The aircraft itself should not approach the place where it can be knocked down, its weapons have a long range, and to go at low altitude in the zones covered with modern air defense - this is the path of suicide, for this purpose there are long -range missiles.

I always smile when I read about Russian aircraft 5-6 generations. If you take the real capabilities of A-50U and the lack of satellite intelligence, and even modern Russian planes, as they say in Odessa-"half a fourth generation, half of the pokes. " Because 5 generations are not so much a plane as the system in which it performs combat missions. This is the same setecentric interaction system that cannot be copied by capturing the plane.

In general, the Russians are accustomed to every little modernization to call either a prefix +or to change the name of the model. Therefore, the old man is known to all Su-35, which is simply a version of the Soviet SU-27 with modernization-in the Russian sense of the Su-35, a 4 ++ fighter. If the same names of the names were moved to the F-16, which was upgraded to Block 70 in all years, the modern F-16 was called F-28, a 4 ++++++++ generation fighter. But back to 5 generation.

Modern 5 generation battle is the development of a setecentric system of interaction between different forces and means. The aircraft that carries fire (missiles, bombs) should not appear on enemy radars at all.

The goals of this "invisible" aircraft are given by satellites, DRLV aircraft, air defense systems, radio -electronic intelligence, everything works for the plane with a switch off with Radar had maximum prompt awareness and could accompany dozens of goals on Earth and in the air at the same time (the same Link16 Now we also use). That is, the plane, transparent to radars, with the radar off has a greater chance of hitting the target against the 4 generation aircraft.

And if the system works correctly - then let's say so that the 4 generation aircraft has no chance. And so, this is the answer why the A-10 development has not been developed. Because the function of flying and working in the work area of ​​modern air defense, receiving counter -pennies is more like American pilots to the concept of "meat storming" than the adequate use of modern aircraft.

In the modern concept, the aircraft performs this task, being invisible, with a target from other means and from a very long distance. And all this F-16 does better. Therefore, we need to master our F-16, learn to use them, adjust the interaction system, because it is 90% of success, and then to modernize aircraft to Block 70 (A-10 such modernization has no), and the F-16 Block 70- This is already a close relative of the F-35.

If we go this path, then perhaps we will give us F-35 aircraft, which are already full aircraft of 5 generations, and they can already quickly be transformed pilots, and the F-35 integrate into the Ukrainian system of catepscentric awareness. But this must be proved that we can use it. That is, how is 4 generations different from 5? The aircraft became inconspicuous, the tactics of the lesion - it is a "blow," known to you by the former memes.

All means are coordinated, and a plane with weapons is a ninja that, thanks to poorness, has a great chance of survival and is not at risk. This is the same 5 generation, but together with the plane is the task of an unmanned aircraft. Due to the absence of a pilot and the need to pull a life support system, this aircraft will be smaller, cheaper, more resistant to load, which gives it more chances to perform maneuvers, in which the pilot would simply lose consciousness.

The logic is clear, before the aircraft is already flying a drone, which will let the same rocket and will protect the operator's plane automated, rather if possible with human reaction. This is what is developing and what will happen tomorrow. Now let's understand where we are now. Russia has a large number of outdated aircraft. But we have even more outdated aircraft, and in smaller quantities. There are also many pilots and experience in the Russian Federation. They just flew more pilots.

Ukraine, receiving the F-16 from SAAB 340 AEW & C, integration into the Patriot system through Link 16 and satellite intelligence data, jumped through generations a year, from 3+ to 4+. Now our task is to modernize the system to the level of 5 generation, in particular by modernizing our F-16 to Block 70. Russian aviation is working !!! (Because it must be adjusted, and it is really difficult) The enemy of the 4+ system should breathe a little.

Because it is unclear why the Russian pilot will navigate in the air. On a plane A-50U? So they do not see Nikhara and can not fly, they are beaten. At the S-300-S-400 radar? So they are on the pi . . . The duoder is now poured by attacks, until the grove is noisy. To the satellite… . bgggg, yes, funny, I agree. So it turns out that you on a 4 ++++++++++ plane should turn on the radar like 3 generations on a plane, and pray to see him see an enemy rocket or plane.

Although in the modern war at the theater the Field of Fight to turn on the radar - it is like 50 languages ​​to broadcast in the air "I am flying here, knock me down as soon as possible. " But flying "blind" is even worse. Well, that is why the Russian Federation will never have aircraft 5 and 6 generations. Because they were unable to construct the catecentric system and no longer build.

And all that remains of their aircraft is a demonstration of the work of rotary nozzles on aviation, although the last time the aircraft needed superficiality - this is a war in Vietnam. Further, the world went the path that the Russian Federation has not been pulled technologically for a long time. The only problem I see is that the planes are passed to us, pilots are taught, and all the commands that Mig-21 were taught to use will be used.