F-16s and Beyond: What’s Next for Ukraine?

In Episode 130 of the Aerospace Advantage, F-16s and Beyond: What’s Next for Ukraine?, John Baum chats with Mitchell Institute’s Lt Gen Dave Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Maj Gen Larry Stutzriem, USAF (Ret.), and Doug Birkey about building out Ukrainian airpower.

It all comes down to breaking out of the land-centric war of attrition by striking key battlefield targets, gaining situational awareness to better employ forces, and fighting for control of the sky. The Biden administration’s decision to authorize the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine, plus related efforts to train pilots, is the long-awaited breakthrough moment necessary to empower this possibility. That said, airplanes alone do not manifest effective airpower. It takes the right mix of strategy, tactics, capabilities, and technology to net desired effects. These missions will be incredibly dangerous, but the Russian air defense network does have vulnerabilities that can be exploited. It’s time to lean into sustaining the fight.