Ukraine needs F-16 jets to effectively fight against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet – Hromov

The relevant statement was made by Brigadier General Oleksiy Hromov, Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in an interview with Ukrinform.

“One of the options for the destruction of Russian missile carriers in the Black Sea is the presence of the fourth-generation modern multipurpose fighter jets, allowing for the use of air-launched weapons against sea targets at a range of 200 kilometers or more. If Ukraine receives modern F-16 (F-18) aircraft with appropriate equipment and weapons, this will become possible,” Hromov told.

In his words, fighting against missile weapons is not only about destroying the carriers but also damaging the places of their concentration, storage, and handling during transportation.

“We consider and use all possible options, depending on the situation and intelligence data. It should be understood that the means and methods of countering the enemy’s striking capabilities are quite sensitive information, the dissemination of which may give the enemy an advantage in matters of preserving their strike weapons,” Hromov noted.

According to him, the latest modifications of anti-ship cruise missiles, such as Harpoon, Brimstone, Neptune, or their analogues, are needed to destroy enemy ships during a sea crossing or on a raid. In this regard, Hromov mentioned that Ukraine is capable of independently producing appropriate countermeasures equipment and is already doing so.

“This is confirmed by the enemy’s use of its missile carriers only at distances that protect them from being hit by our strike weapons. In the future, we will expand our strike capabilities in order to eliminate the enemy’s last trump card, i.e. spatial advantage, depriving them of the initiative due to the threat of damage to missile carriers in any area of the Black Sea,” Hromov explained.

The Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff emphasized that Ukraine needs long-range high-precision weapons to effectively fight against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. For example, the ATACMS ballistic missiles or their domestic analogues, Sapsan ballistic missiles, are needed to destroy enemy warships at their bases.