US Ends Support for Ukrainian F-16s, But French Mirages Will Be Salvation – Forbes

The United States, having decided to end its support for Ukraine, cannot simply turn off the Ukrainian Air Force’s U.S.-designed F-16 fighters . But the Trump administration has cut off vital support for their jamming capabilities, which could deprive the Ukrainian Air Force of a critical air countermeasure.

However, as Forbes analyst David Ax writes , the Ukrainians are not powerless and can shift the burden of air jamming onto the French Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters.

As Aks points out, the Ukrainian Air Force is taking full advantage of the ability of F-16s equipped with AN/ALQ-131 pods to flood Russian radar screens with electronic noise. They act as “flying air defenses” with advanced missile warning technology, notes the Conflict Intelligence Team.

But the Russian Air Force can circumvent the jamming by reprogramming its radars to different frequencies. As Axe points out, while the Biden Air Force was able to keep up with the Russian adaptation by constantly tweaking the AN/ALQ-131 frequencies, under Trump, Ukrainian pilots are not receiving updates, and the programs could soon become obsolete.

However, France’s Mirage 2000s are equipped with their own powerful jammers, and the Americans are not involved in their programming, the analyst notes.

The Mirage 2000-5F currently in service with the French Air Force flies with a combination of the Serval radar warning receiver, Sabre jammer and Eclair flare dispenser. This system was cutting edge in the 1980s, but within a generation it was falling behind.

“Recognizing this weakness and understanding the seriousness of the Russian missile threat over Ukraine, the French Ministry of Defense promised to install new electronic countermeasures on the Mirage 2000s before handing them over to Ukraine. The ministry probably had in mind the predominantly analog Integrated Countermeasures Suite Mark 2 or the all-digital Integrated Countermeasures Suite Mark 3,” Ax notes.

Either system is an improvement over the older system and a potential replacement for the AN/ALQ-131, as the American pods lag behind the Russian adaptation. The French are firm allies of Ukraine and are willing to reprogram the jammers if necessary.

In the longer term, the Ukrainians could refit their F-16s with non-American electronic countermeasures, Axe notes. But that could take time and money that Ukraine cannot afford.