Speaking to business insider, retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel and experienced F-16 pilot John Baum, the F-16s headed to Ukraine this summer will face their "most dangerous battlefield".
This is primarily due to the fact that the aircraft will face sophisticated Russian air defense systems, as well as tried and true long-range air-to-air missiles.
Russian air defense capabilities are “probably one of the most robust and advanced integrated air-defense systems in the world," Baum noted.
Due to limited combat capacities, Ukrainian pilots are to be immediately targeted by prevailing Russian forces once they get off the ground.
“When Ukrainian F-16s take off, they could be immediately within range of Russian surface-to-air systems, rather than enjoying neutral territory,” the former officer pointed out.