Cover aerodromes within 200 kilometers: what can AGM-158 missiles under F-16, which gives an event

The event promised to supply Ukraine's long-range winged AGM-158 missiles under F-16 fighter. The military analyst Ivan Kirichevsky calls several problems - foreign policy and purely technical, which can occur in the process. With regard to long-range AGM-158 missiles under the F-16 that Ukraine can theoretically receive. Since Politico has already written about it, and our press quotes it, I will not repeat it already written, but I suggest to take one step forward and talk about what.

Emotional swings (from the word "go!") On the topic of rockets under the F-16 for the Armed Forces are quite possible here, because it is a new type of long-range weapons just at the end of Biden's cadence. Therefore, purely for prevention, it will not hurt now to set the accents, even if the prospects are very ghostly.

For example, it is said that the functionaries of the Pentagon need to solve the issue with "sensitive technologies" and the ability of the F-16 to use the AGM-158 winged missiles in the Armed Forces of F-16. This is definitely not worth looking for any foreign policy motivation. Let us start with the fact that our aircraft now receives the F-16 not only from European countries, but also those planes that were made under the Cold War license at European factories.

Therefore, there may not be a "established" option from the ability to launch AGM-158 missiles, then it will need to be "tidy up". Open access was evidence that the French-made SCalp-EG rocket should be prepared for a 12-hour mission. A similar indicator about AGM-158 has not yet happened, but it is unlikely that the process is less labor, so there is really something to work on.

If you already have to look for possible foreign policy motivation, it is, for example, in the question of the range of winged missiles that can be transmitted to Ukraine. At the same time, it is easy to find in the open access that the AGM-158B JASSM-ER CR can beat up to 900 kilometers. But, apparently, in the original publication from Politico, a hint is faster to the basic version of these missiles AGM-158A, that is, a range up to 370 kilometers inclusive.

However, if they give this option-also good, because it is enough to aim at the ASF airfields of the Russian Federation in a 200-kilometer zone from the border (well, and, accordingly, require permission for such use). Foreign policy motivation can also be in the amount of AGM-158 that can give us. Indeed, the publication from Politico indicated the rate of production of 45 such missiles per month at the capacities of the US MIC.

I will finish that the US Air Force Jassm-ER is currently the most long-range CR with a "conventional" combat unit, including for strategic aviation; The "domestic" value of one is approximately $ 3 million, the order of the Pentagon for the 2025 financial year is 550 units. But, yes, there is a specific nuance that such missiles of the American MIC are producing a little slower rate than the Russians-X-101 (there is already up to 50 months).

What already creates a space for the game "escalation management". Well, just in case-yes, Poland has already ordered a "several hundred" (without specific figures) of the Jassm-ER missiles for $ 0. 7 billion with supply in 2026-2030, but, according to open sources, Polish Air Force They have only up to 100 units of AGM-158 under the available F-16.

If you continue about swings from the word "Goid!", For example, it is easy to calculate that publications may start in the Western press about incredible difficulties that can expect Ukraine in the use of AGM-158 under the F-16. For example, the issues of teaching pilots and technical staff, the expected operative effect, the opportunities of the Russian air defense to counteract CR, so all these publications can be fair in their own way.

For example, in the recent publication of the British Analytical Center, Rusi was claimed that during the Counter-offshore of the Armed Forces in the summer of 2023, a real number of Storm Shadow and Scalp-EG missiles were spent, but the real effect of application was lower than the expected. Or, in the case of AGM-158, it is a rumor of the rocket, and such means of air attack is easier to knock down than operative-tactical ballistic missiles.

On the other hand, during the full -scale invasion of the Russian Federation, our military showed the ability to overcome similar organizational challenges in the presence of technical support from the Western countries. Since in February 2022 there was almost no controlled air-top weapon in our aircraft, although over 2 years later there is not just a whole nomenclature of various bombs and rockets, there are also staff who can use it.