F-16’s performance is much lower than the Su-27 – Ukrainian pilot

KYIV, UKRAINE — According to Ukrainian Air Force pilot Lieutenant Colonel Fischer Dmitry Vilhelmovich, the performance of the F-16 is much lower than that of his Su-27. This he says in a video interview filmed in the summer of 2022. He compared the two fighters based on his experience, as the Ukrainian pilot had flown the F-16.

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“I flew the F-16 the first day, I loved the fighter. However, in terms of performance, it is much lower than the Su-27,” the pilot admits. It should be noted that the comparison is based on one of the characteristics that Russian aircraft are generally known for – maneuverability and ability in close combat. Many experts even say that, in principle, of the Soviet and Russian fighters, it is the Su-27 that is “the king of maneuverable air combat”.

BulgarianMilitary.com asked an expert who explained that the comparison of the pilot was not necessary. According to the expert, if the F-16 is compared to any Soviet/Russian aircraft, it should be the MiG-29. While the Su-27 is much better compared to the F-15.

Lt. Col. Fischer Dmitry Vilhelmovich

According to users of the website Lost Armor, there are reports of the death of this Ukrainian Air Force officer. Information about the death of Lt. Col. Fischer and Dmitry Vilhelmovich was also published on Ukrainian profiles in social networks.

It is assumed that at the beginning of June 2022, Lieutenant Colonel Vilhelmovich met his death. Some sources, both Russian and Ukrainian, claim that the Ukrainian pilot died on June 5, 2022, near the village of Orekhovo, Zaporizhzhia region. According to them, he was piloting a Su-27P1M with boarding number 38. There is no exact information on whether the pilot died after participating in air combat or was shot down by enemy air defense.

F-16 for Ukraine

The F-16 began to gain more and more popularity among the general public after the Netherlands and Poland first expressed a desire to supply this fighter to the Ukrainian Air Force. Some even suggest that a meeting between Ukraine’s allies at the Ramstein base in Germany is coming this month to resolve this case.

The US is the country that will have to authorize the re-export of the aircraft – As the producing country, the US has the final say, regardless of the wishes of the donors. At the moment, the Pentagon and official Washington deny such a possibility or respond evasively.

The delivery of the F-16, even if it is allowed, will not give superiority, but Ukrainian pilots in the air believe quite a few Eastern and Western analysts. It would be suicide for the West and Ukraine, they say. The F-16 is a radically different system from the Soviet and Russian designs known to Ukrainian pilots. Even according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, it will take at least six months for a Ukrainian pilot to train on the F-16. This is even the shortest possible period.

More lethal weapons

The idea of F-16s in Ukraine is not new, but it has gained popularity since the beginning of the year after Western arms suppliers to Ukraine decided to send much more lethal weapons – tanks. There are already confirmed deliveries of Leopard 2, Challenger 2, and American Abrams tanks.

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