F-16s, Ukraine’s most wished-for weapon, have touched down in the country. This has paved the way for the most awaited showdown between the American fighter and the Russian air defense system S-400 (NATO code-named SA-21 ‘Growler’).
Considering the S-400s’ lukewarm success in the protracted war, it remains to be seen if the Igla MANPADS (Man-portable air defense system) will prove to be a more effective weapon against the F-16s.
The S-400 ‘Tirumf’ is Russia’s most advanced air defense system. It first became operational in 2007 and was developed to rival the US Patriot System.
Russia has claimed it to be the “best long-range air defense system in the world.” While the Patriots cost US $1 billion, the S-400 is much lower.
The ongoing Russian invasion has yielded mixed results regarding the efficacy of S-400s. In November 2023, the UK Ministry of Defense said that Ukraine had likely annihilated four Russian air-defense systems in a week, with three of them being S-400s. They were destroyed in the Luhansk region on October 26, 2023.
In June this year, again, Ukraine’s General Staff claimed that it destroyed another S-400 and another S-300 in Crimea.
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The S-400s are designed to shoot down aircraft and missiles at long ranges. Russia has deployed the system extensively along the frontline. They have a range of 400 kilometers and can detect targets up to 1,000 kilometers away. It includes truck-mounted radars, a mobile command post, and multiple missile launch platforms.
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Recognizing the threat, Ukraine knocked down many of these systems before the fighter jets arrived. It remains to be seen how effective the Danish F-16s will be against Russian air defense.
Moscow has threatened to hunt the jets even before they take off with its missiles. Once they get airborne, the F-16s will be up against the feared S-400s, which can take on multiple aircraft at once.
Russia made good on its threat in early July as it launched missile attacks and destroyed at least five Ukrainian combat aircraft, out of which at least two were Su-27s, and one was the MiG-29. At least three airfields have been attacked in July alone: one in the southern Odesa region and two in central Ukraine, Myrhorod and Kryvyi Rih.
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Considering the Russian air defense threat, much information about the F-16 deployment and the weapons they will wield is classified. There have been speculations that the F-16 could carry the UK-supplied Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles, which have a range of more than 250 kilometers and the potential to strike targets inside Russia.
They might also be equipped with long-range air-to-air missiles that can pose a considerable threat to Russian bombers and fighter jets.
The S-400s have a blind spot too. The longer-range interceptors used by S-400 (48N6E2/3, 40N6E) are all semi-active radar homing. As long as the aircraft fly below the radar horizon, they are safe from being lit up by the radar. The S-400s have also faced challenges from the high speed and maneuverability of ballistic missiles.
MANPADS – The Bane Of Ukrainian Jets
At the beginning of the war, Russia managed to take out 33 percent of the Ukrainian fighter jets using the ‘deadly combo’ of Igla and Verba Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS).
The F-16s are certainly superior to Ukraine’s older jets. With their more powerful radars and better resistance to jamming, the F-16s will be able to detect Russian aircraft at longer distances and allow them to remain outside the range of the Russian air defense systems.
In the event of suddenly appearing air targets at low and extremely low altitudes, the Igla and Verba MANPADS have proven themselves well, which account for a third of the destroyed manned aircraft of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In case the F-16s fly low they can be susceptible to the Russian MANPADS.
“Igla will always be a deadly weapon. They cannot be jammed, and it is difficult to deceive a human being manning a MANPAD through decoy,” a former Indian Air Force (IAF) told the EurAsian Times.
The Igla-S and Verba MANPADS can take down low-flying fixed—and rotary-winged aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missiles flying at a range of 500 to 6000 meters and an altitude of 10 to 3500 kilometers.
MANPADS have been an important part of Russia’s air-denial strategy, taking down the greatest number of Ukrainian fighter jets. Ukraine has also employed the Soviet-era Igla-S to deny air superiority to the Russian Air Force.
Multiple experts quoted by the EurAsian Times have stated that Ukraine will predominantly use F-16s in its air defense role to destroy cruise missiles and drones. However, if Kyiv decides to go on the offensive with Fighting Falcons, S-400 MANPADS and RuAF jets could pose a challenge.
- Ritu Sharma has been a journalist for over a decade, writing on defense, foreign affairs, and nuclear technology.
- The author can be reached at ritu.sharma (at) mail.com
- Follow EurAsian Times on Google News
