Russia Offers Bounty for First F-16 Kill in Ukraine

Any Russian soldier who shoots down one of the US-made fighter jets will receive 15 million rubles ($170,000).

An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the Alabama National Guard’s 187th Fighter Wing takes off from Joint Base Andrews, Md., April 3, 2012, for a training mission with Washington D.C. Air National Guard F-16s. Public domain.

As I write this, Ukraine is currently in the process of receiving its first batch of F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets.

For those of us who support Ukraine’s fight, the F-16 represents a boon for the Ukrainian air force.

We’ve been waiting for this for a long time.

A curious byproduct of the war in Ukraine has been the limited use of airpower on both sides. Former US Air Force general Philip Breedlove has described the Ukrainian air situation as one of “mutual denial”.

Until now, Russia’s air defenses have been effective at keeping Ukrainian aircraft away from the front. And Moscow, in the interest of not losing any more aircraft in its quagmire, has been reluctant to risk its aircraft beyond the front line.

This is largely why this war draws comparisons to World War I — where the military fixed-wing aircraft debuted. The whole point of airpower was to elevate the fight above the mud and trenches.

But the F-16 could change the equation dramatically — if Ukraine can keep them safe.

Despite having some solid armaments, Russian fighters are simply outmatched by the F-16.