Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian F-16: this ability of Big Mau to contest air superiority is truly beyond words! On April 12, the Ukrainian side claimed that 26-year-old Air Force pilot Pavlo Ivanov was killed while flying an F-16 fighter on a combat mission, and Russian forces also announced the downing of an F-16 that day. This is certainly a victory for the Russian side, but it would be more accurate to call it a difficult tactical victory. The F-16 was born in 1974, with over 51 years of history. The F-16 models obtained by Ukraine are all F-16AM/BM Block 15 mid-term improvement models. After airframe life extension, they have been used for at least 20 years and have limited beyond-visual-range combat capabilities. This aircraft would be considered nearly scrap metal if brought into our military. However, on the Ukraine-Russia battlefield, it has become a kind of strategic weapon to contain Russian forces. Although Ukraine does not have an airborne early warning aircraft, it has effectively contained Russian efforts to gain overall air superiority through F-16s. Of course, you could say that NATO and the United States support Ukraine, but Russia's air force is stronger. However, the reality is that Russian forces have been unable to completely dominate Ukrainian airspace. Even Russian President Putin couldn't get help from Trump, despite boasts about the Su-35, A-50 airborne early warning aircraft, S-400 missiles, and even the rumored secret deployment of Su-57s...
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829205695352969/
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