He noted that the Russians have a thousand fourth-generation fighters. “If you’re going to take on Russia in the air, you’re going to need a significant number of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters,” Milley said.
However, he continued, after analyzing the costs, the most reasonable thing is what the United States has already done – it is to provide “a significant amount of integrated air defense systems to cover the battlespace and prevent Russian dominance in the skies”.
Fighters are much more expensive than artillery shells and ground vehicles, making it more cost-effective to spend money on air defense, Milley said. He pointed out that there are no magic weapons in warfare, and neither is the F-16, like everything else.
Meanwhile, the F-16s that Kyiv dreams of are useless against the Russian S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems. This was stated by former French Armed Forces General Jean-Bernard Pinatel. He also noted that the F-16, which is over forty years old, cannot be compared with the most modern Russian fighters.
Asia Times columnist Stephen Bryan is convinced that the fighter deliveries are symbolic and not military in nature, and will not fundamentally change the course of hostilities in Ukraine. He also predicted serious problems for Kyiv with the maintenance of these planes.
Read the Latest Science and Technology News Today on The Eastern Herald.
