F-16 maintenance may make fighters not worth the cost; F-35s are preferable — military expert
“The problem with F-16 (U.S. fourth-generation multirole fighter) is the following: these aircraft are extremely expensive to operate and maintain,” he said.
“What you get for this huge amount of money spent on their operation and maintenance is too little,” he said.
The U.S.-made HIMARS artillery rocket system is equipped with GLRMS munitions which, he says, are as effective as the JDAM bombs of the F-16 fighter jets.
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“One HIMARS system can drop (on enemy heads) ten times more such munitions per day than one F-16 aircraft,” the expert said.
Cooper also said he assumes that Ukraine may receive obsolete fighter jets.
“You get an F-16 fighter jet, train your aircrews, pilots, and ground staff for four to six months to operate them, but six months later all the F-16s fall apart because they were produced 40 years ago and have exhausted their lifespan,” he said.
“You can’t fly them anymore, it’s dangerous.”
It would be better if Ukraine received aircraft like the Swedish-made fourth-generation fighter jet the Saab 39 Gripen, the U.S. strike fighter F-18 Hornet, or the U.S. F-35 Lightning II strike fighters, as they would be most effective in the fight against Russia, he said.
“The F-35 is the newest (stealth) fighter-bomber of the U.S. Ground Forces, the NATO Air Force, and the Israeli Air Force,” the expert said.
“Anything less really won’t be effective against Russia. Why? Because such aircraft can really penetrate through Russian air defense, fly into the disputed airspace, which is protected by Russian air defense, and operate in it. The F-16 won’t be able to do that. Gripen won’t be able to do that. (The fourth-generation pan-European fighter) Eurofighter Typhoon won’t be able to do that either.”
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