Russia changes tactics following F-16s supply to Ukraine, command of Russian Federation is puzzled

Against the background of news that the first Western F-16 fighters arrived in Ukraine, Ukrainian Defense Express expert Ivan Kirichevsky drew attention to one strange thing during a massive air attack by the aggressor country of the Russian Federation on the night of July 31.

According to him, the occupiers did not launch long-range missiles after the waves of attack drones, as it was before. The number of questions to the expert about why this did not happen gave him the impression that "someone was upset".

"Indeed, by this time, some Western media managed to pour minor notes on the topic that the arrival of the F-16 in Ukraine " will not give a break at the front", but here it is necessary to explain the logic of their reflections. Western journalists and analysts immediately took the bar that the F-16 should perform something like "Shaitan-Arba", the very appearance of which in our sky should have covered all the tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces with shame. But since the objective balance of forces will still remain in favor of the Russians, you see "there will be no miracle", Kirichevsky wrote on Facebook.

The analyst of Defense Express noted that international media continue to allow themselves "unprofessional reflections" in the style of a TV show, but Ukrainians need to draw conclusions in a practical way.

We are talking about platforms that have a physical resource higher than that of Soviet MiG-29 and Su-27 aircraft. Ukrainian defenders need the F-16s to have something to fly and fight, because the old weapons are not eternal.

"The F-16 will at least allow more effective use of the aircraft weapons that are now being dropped on the occupiers' heads in an improvised manner from Soviet aircraft, that is, JDAM-ER and SDB guided bombs, AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missiles. I personally think that this effect will be comparable to how the Ukrainian forces received DPICM cluster munitions from the United States in the summer of 2023," Kirichevsky believes.

Accordingly, the efficiency of destruction of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation during air strikes should increase by at least 15%. Although it is impossible to attach SCALP-EG and Storm Shadow to the F-16, because the design of the fighter does not provide for this, it is necessary to leave room for faith in a miracle. For example, the variant of adapting the old Su-24M to Western cruise missiles also sounded like an "unhealthy phantasmagoria".