This is how the Russian SU-27 Will Fight the F-16 in Ukraine

Fighter pilot reacts to how the F-16 will fight the Su-27 in the Russia Ukraine War. Ukraine is getting the F-16 and a fighter pilot explains how the dogfight between the F-16 and Su-27 will go.
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[@MaxAfterburnerusa]

Hello there! Thank you for checking out the video. Stay tuned to the channel for lots of new content coming every Sunday!! 🔥Check out my Patreon for even more: www.patreon.com/MaxAfterburner

[@ivanperfetti9554]

hello, a question, I want to join the army and at the same time study a degree, is it possible?

[@muhammedaliabbasi8379]

Please make video on turkish jets kizelma and tfx kaan

[@steventousignant1516]

Hello. Can you do a video about the "lost" F35 ejection seat. I've been seeing some reports that the seat "is Smart"" meaning if the planes computer determines a failure, it will automatically eject the pilot without them having to do anything. Also, what's your opinion about"Smart" ejection seats?

[@House_of_Schmidt]

Russians are primarily using Su-35's for air superiority with modern fox 3's including R-77's and R-37's which outrange anything these older F-16's have. Their radar is also far more powerful. Likely Ukraine will just need to avoid being detected at all by the Russians and use the F-16 for deterrence and maybe strike support here and there. Our money would probably be better spent on artillery for Ukraine. Russians will always have air dominance in this area.

[@Aquascape_Dreaming]

You're correct, they're more likely to go up against SU-35's. But, although their radars are more powerful, they are lackluster in their performance and reliability. Russians love to outdo American specs, but they cut many corners to get there, and end up with an inferior version. The Viper was built perfectly for its intended purpose, and has withstood the test of time.

[@user-yj1on3bf1v]

the usa and nato no longer have 155mm shells, you also can't give artillery. Forget, Russia will win there. The Russian drones are destroying your artillery so fast that Biden doesn't know what to do now.

[@Max_Da_G]

@@Aquascape_Dreaming Where is the info from regarding poor performance and reliability of IRBIS and BARS radars? Also which modern weapon for Russians use that is a poor knockoff of a US weapon?

[@amazin7006]

@@Max_Da_G R77-1's poor performance is documented well in Ukraine. They are recorded as firing 6 of them per day with very few actual kills confirmed.

[@voidtempering8700]

​@@amazin7006What do you think is the normal kill rate for BVR missiles?

[@iamfritz]

The reason Ruski Su-27s and MiG-29s carry so few rounds is because they have a dogfight mode that only fires the gun when the pipper ison a designated target. Meaning: The Flanker locks up his target with radar, holds down the gun trigger and maneuvers the bandit (an F-16) into the pipper. The gun does not fire until the pipper actually lines up on the F-16. A hit is virtually guaranteed, and rounds are not wasted. Weight is even saved by carrying fewer rounds. I believe the F-35A/B/C also has this smart firing system, as it also carries so few rounds in its gun.

[@harounel-poussah6936]

Hey, you know, Dassault had this feature on Mirage-III in the early 60's!!! BTW, the last dogfight between jet fighters using the gun happened in 1982 when a S-African Mirage-F1 shot down a Cuban MiG-21 over Angola... Only two F-16s were shot down in A2A, one by a Mirage-2000, one by a Bison. Remember that Indian Bison were built by HAL, not by Mikoyan-Gurevich, and they're filled with Israeli and French combat systems, as all Indian jets of russian design. Now India even loads them with Israeli and French AAMs as russian R-77 has proven irrelevant and R-73 really lacks range... MICA-IR ranges 50km and has a no escape zone of... 50km! This is larger than AIM-120C's NEZ! MICA- NG/IR's range is 80km and so is its NEZ... And this is what replaces the R-73 short range IR-guided missile on Indian jets! IAF wanted the long range Meteor instead of the Israeli Derby-ER, but Modi refused as Meteor needs a proprietary datalink only available with Eurocanards' radars and replacing the radars with these was seen as too expensive

[@pongo1969]

A lot of interesting theories: only reality will show which one will prevail. Do not forget that a few years ago (2019) an old Indian Mig 21 soviet era shot down a F16 of Pakistan Air Forces

[@alexanderyaants8304]

Russian forces don't have SU-27 in Ukraine, they have SU-35

[@michaelg.9791]

We like to fool ourselves to make us feel good. Don't spoil that. 🤫

[@userur32793]

they also use su27

[@schannel7211]

You pretty much explained the Ukrainian version of the Su-27. Russian versions like the SM,SM2/3 are upgraded.

[@jetfighter200]

I think long and medium range SAMs like the S-300/400 or Buks will be more of a threat to F-16s than to other fighters..and Max completely missing that the russians using also R-77-1 and R-37...one should also not forget that the ukrainian pilots have to learn the type first and a crash course is not enough...otherwise what happened with the bradleys and leopard 2 will happen to the F16s

[@roman335i]

Dont matter for him.... Also him: F16 wins because its an US jet^^

[@pogo1140]

The sams pose the same threat to the F-16 as it does to the other Ukrainian jets, zero threat at 100miles as long as you fly below 5,000ft. At 200ft, the SAM radar has to be within 30 miles for it to be a threat

[@Bee87ify]

@@roman335i да он вообще несет чушь этот недолетчик ))) С чего он взял, что против F16 будут Су27 одного не пойму, если нашим будет приказ по максимум унизить F16, как с леопардами и бредли 🤣🤣🤣 Тем более на кану будет репутация натовской техники ))

[@roman335i]

@@Bee87ify я согласен

[@ShadeAKAhayate]

@@pogo1140 You, of course, play DCS and know how missile range drastically reduces with altitude. So it's more about giving Ukraine any air power to replace lost capabilities than using advantages of F-16 FCR.

[@spiritofattack]

I'm an F-106 pilot from the 1960's. I wish you could have discussed the radar capabilities and ECM more. Also, I expect that anti-aircraft fire will be a serious concern over the Ukraine front lines. I doubt if a dogfight such as you describe will be common -- there are lots of SAMs which may be the primary concern -- who has the best ECM? In the 1960's, we seldom flew alone -- usually in a pair -- how would that affect the battle?

[@Max_Da_G]

ECM? He is not allowed to say a word about it.

[@suyashsingh6976]

Sir, the falcon will stand no chance in one circle against flanker with archer and HMS. Ukrainians need a lot of luck!! Russians have been training against eagles and falcon tactics for decades now.

[@deltavee2]

@@suyashsingh6976 Riiiight Commrade...how many hours of real flight time do the Red pilots get in a year? Look it up. It's pathetic. You're also assuming their maintenance is good enough that their birds won't have a RUD when the pilots start stressing the frame. Good luck with that in the land of "the hammer fixes all." maintenance mentality.

[@user-lp2ig7jl6y]

@deltavee2 When the Russian pilots demonstrate their flying skills by flying in very close proximity to American drones all the world hears is whining about those same pilots acting 'unprofessionally.' The heroic John McCain was bombing a city when he was shot down but as long as he was acting 'professionally' who can complain?

[@Matt-tt4cu]

@@deltavee2 Yeah all the little reds are chirping everywhere on here. It's cute. Ryan forgot to include that Ukraine is getting a bunch of -120C8 and -120D's. Lotta Red Air pilots are going to die BVR....

[@williamsmith7340]

I suspect the MiG-29 was the plane designed to counter the F-16, and F-18. The Su-27 was designed as a F-15 killer.

[@raz4371]

Mig-29 is more of a missile truck, but su-27 for sure.

[@ChristopherSterwerf]

When I was a kid, and after watching Iron Eagle hundreds of times, I thought a multi role fighter meant that the jet could do a bunch of aileron roles. Hah!

[@turbopower7308]

Didn't you have internet access at that time?

[@ChristopherSterwerf]

@@turbopower7308 The internet wasn't a thing in the 80's

[@turbopower7308]

@@ChristopherSterwerf ohh! Sorry

[@ImpendingJoker]

@@turbopower7308 Don't you have internet access? Any intelligent person would have seen that he said "was a kid" could have looked up when Iron Eagle released and made an intelligent assertion that multi-role, can sound like multi roll, and see the humor in the original poster's comment.

[@turbopower7308]

@@ImpendingJoker yaa!! Here after watching a sense of the movie. They put multi-roll into a whole new level 🙂🙃🙂

[@1ask2risk]

1:55 BFM. No, that means Basic Fighter-Pilot Mustache. I applaud your stash.

[@SandMartin]

The most likely scenario is not the F-16 against the Su-27, but the F-16 against the Su-30SM or Su-35 with thrust vector engines, Irbis-E passive electronically scanned array radar and R-37 and R-77 missles or even the MiG-31

[@Aquascape_Dreaming]

Thrust vectoring is only as good as your aircraft's ability to regain energy. Without a powerful engine, thrust vectoring leaves you dead in the water, and an easy target. Russians are producing aircraft that can do some 'wowee!' things, but when it comes to practicality within combat, they are trailing far behind the Americans.

[@amr8457]

You are 100% correct. But don't forget the unsung and unknown hero the Mig-31. Russia is actually using Mig-31 with nothing but success. Mig-31, SU-30,, SU-35SM(2). They use these fighters to look down on the battlefield and launch R-37m down on them with MAXIMUM kinetic energy. Ukrainian pilots don't even have a chance. Russian aircraft never even have to cross into Ukraine to do this.

[@vilmomoccolosso9824]

@@amr8457 Both of you are absolutely correct. Plus, it's going to be interesting to see how will F-16's do in air to ground role since USA won't allow them to get anywhere near the battlefield for sure

[@amr8457]

@@vilmomoccolosso9824 They might not get any at all. 10 F-16's is $2 billion alone. They want between 60-80. Russia doing a REALLY good job at draining NATO and Co.

[@ryanmumbower3035]

@@amr8457 also good at draining their own ground forces

[@nneesskkee]

The reason why the USA and the USSR started air-superiority programs (in parallel - in case you didn't know and you didn't) is the Vietnam War. The moment the Soviets started their air-superiority program, the F-16 project didn't even exist. At the beginning of development, the F-16 was not a multi-role fighter. This came much later. In the beginning this was purely a tactical/front line fighter. The Su-27 was designed as an air-superiority fighter plane from the ground up. Same as the F-15. The Su-27, like the F-15, is designed to clear the depth of enemy airspace of tactical/front line fighters for bombers with their escorts and thereby reduce bomber losses. The Su-27 is designed to be an air-superiority fighter plane. Multi-role came much later. This is still primarily air-superiority. Mulry-role is secondary. WWII showed that it is better to have a higher caliber and less ammunition than the other way around. For Russian radars, you have no idea what you are talking about. But that would be too long a post. Try to get information from non-Western sources. From sources that are not direct competition on the market. As for maneuverability, you understand that the newer Su-27 versions (Su-35 for example), which are the versions that the F-16 would most often encounter in Ukraine, have thrust vectoring that no operational F-16 variant has? You understand this - right? As for the visibility from the cockpit, it is comparable if you look at the newer versions of the Su-27, as you showed when you talked about the visibility. Russians don't practice basic maneuvers very often... WTF are you talking about? Close air combat is the basis of their training. It would not be a bad idea for you from the West to make up your mind. Common claims are that Russian tactics are outdated because they rely too much on WVR and neglect BVR. And now they ignore basic maneuvers (which is WVR). This means that Russian pilots have no training at all. Except the instructors who trained former MiG-29 pilots to fly the F-16 say this is a very bad idea. Because in critical situations they return to the old routine. And to train new pilots who have never flown a MiG-29 or any other aircraft is much better. Russians don't have this problem. In fact, the G preoblem would be much more pronounced on the Russian side. Because of thrust-vectoring. This will get you above 9G much faster. Maybe you didn't know, but Greece has the best pilots in NATO. Even the Israelis admit this. That's why they train with the Greeks whenever they get the chance. The closed eyes thing is a standard part of Russian training. Precisely because of thrust-vectoring. You did not give a particularly rosy situation for the Ukrainian pilots when you said that it is all up to the pilot. These will be pilots with several months of training on completely unknown aircraft for them. Which will go against pilots who fly very serious airplanes that they fly almost all of their adult lives. This is not a particularly good situation for Ukrainian pilots.

[@richardsmith1284]

I've always heard that the aircraft is important, but it comes down to pilots experience

[@Zoonjse]

Thats what matters and ive been saying. F16 is goof for what it is done for. Hardly trained Ukrainians are not going to do it. Its an aircraft good for ground ops. not dogfighting. first, how is it going to handle with BUK, S-400 or S-500? remains to be seen.

[@harounel-poussah6936]

@@Zoonjse S-500 is an anti-ballistic system and is only deployed in protection of Moscow... S-400 is gone, anyway, it's crap, and Buk gets busted by HiMARS

[@julienckjm7430]

So it went from "this is how the Su-27 will fight against the F-16" to "this is how the F-16 will fight against the Su-27"?😅

[@GeeLove]

Another thing you said is that the SU-57’s engines you can roll, climb and yaw you can use the movable exhaust can fly the plane. Fly by wire and fly by engine. Impressive.

[@drfill9210]

They also fly into terrain well

[@bluemarlin8138]

Impressive at air shows. Mostly useless at combat speeds. The US actually tested thrust vectoring on the F-15 (google F-15 ACTIVE) and F-16 in the early 1990s. The thrust vectoring (full 360°) was better than what the Ruzzians have even today, but the USAF thought it just wasn’t useful enough to put on future US aircraft. Thrust vectoring was already part of the F-22 design by this point though.

[@harounel-poussah6936]

Thrust vectoring is great for Bolshoi air ballet, but give a try to the Cobra figure during a dogfight and get cut in two by the adversary's gun! Even the Harrier trick that once worked is known in and how to counter it is taught to all cadets pilots. My bet goes on the lighter jets in case of dogfight! Remember how Rafale, Mirage-2000 and even T-38 owned the thrust-vectored F-22 during BFM drills?

[@Xover112]

@@bluemarlin8138 how does it fell to blow yourself?

[@prezodent2371]

The mig 29 and the su30 family have helmet tracking and targeting isn’t that a plus in close quarters and the new versions also have thrust vectoring you didn’t mention any of these factors the f16 would be facing

[@HiroKone]

Because it does not matter. And the Su27 is the most abundant fighter, not the Su 30 or 35. People read stats on Wikipedia, see a number is bigger and think they know what is superior. Nonsense. The F16 also has a what is called helmet mounted cueing system by the way. That is not something only the Russians have. Far from it. And thrust vectoring? Who cares? This is not WW2. Dogfights are pretty unimportant nowadays. What matters is the weapons you can carry, how many of those you have and the sensor systems you have. If Ukraine gets F16s with all the gizmos that is a very significant capability. No one cares that the su27 can do a Cobra because that is (almost) useless in combat. No one cares that the Su 35 radar has the most wattage if you can't track.

[@AtosVeron]

ещё как волнует мощная РЛС, иначе не было бы технологии снижения заметности и РЭБ😉.@@HiroKone

[@jamesluisitobinoya4856]

​@@HiroKoneI strongly agree with you, cobra maneuver is good only in air show, they do not know what stress of the frame of the plane will suffer if they keep on doing in cobra maneuver it will just end in a plane with fractured bones.

[@weidles]

Loved the video

[@kazadsak2070]

Looks like theory for me. If Ukraine gets the F-16 : 1. I don’t think they will get a newer version as the US will be scared to lose some of them and Russia manage to put its hand on them. 2. Adopting the f-16 platform will require a huge change in the maintenance and logistic aspects in the Ukrainian Air Force. 3. The F-16s will probably get destroyed on the ground directly by hypersonic missiles. 4. Weak AD on Ukrainian side. 5. Russian AF and AD work together in a multilayer defense system, I don’t know how an old version of the F-16 can operate in such an environnement without support.

[@amazin7006]

If Russia could hit air bases with hypersonic missiles they would have already. 500 days in and Ukraine is still running dozens of sorties every day. The fact is, Russia's missiles are inaccurate and have garbage penetration. Air defense on Ukraine has been strong, s300, patriot, Gepard, CRAM, etc. It's a multilayered system designed to take out drone swarms and cruise missiles without a sweat. There's a reason Russia has chosen to focus on Odesa now that Kyiv is protected. Russian air defense has been shown to be vulnerable to HARM and storm shadow missiles. Many s400 and s300v4 have been destroyed now.

[@andreaskampe9143]

The hypersonic missiles are not cheap, only if the target is worth it. The Ukrainian air defense desperately needs more S300, not many left and not easy to get hold of any more. Ukraine is lacking everything in resources, especially soldiers. @@amazin7006

[@appa609]

He's the only one I've ever heard recommend going 1 circle in an F-16 against a flanker.

[@Karackal]

This one took me by surprise as well. I guess if you have HOBS IR-tracking missiles, potentially with a HMCS, 1-circle is really the only option anyone has.

[@claudiusconruton2720]

Every Russian fighter has hobs missiles, it appears this poor fellow was not informed about it😂

[@RichardJOberle]

Great explanation. Appreciated.

[@Checkthisontube]

Let's get real. Those F-16 were produced 50 years ago and modernized 20-30 years ago. At that age you got to hope the chassis doesn't crack and a wing comes off.

[@SmedleyDouwright]

I imagine both planes will launch missiles at max range and run away.

[@milenko8bradanov]

That is what I think, too. Ukrainian Air Force cannot afford to lose their F-16s in dogfights, and Russian VVS did not show any will to dogfight since the start of Special Operation.

[@solemnwaltz]

Hot take right here

[@vasilijevukadinovic6843]

The su has a 10 times better radar and the r37m to shoot at it up to 400km away. It's not even close to a fare fight

[@pogo1140]

@@vasilijevukadinovic6843 400km if the F-16 is headed towards the SU at mach 1.2 and does not turn. If the 16 is on the deck, moving at a 45deg angel to the SU, maybe 100km,

[@vasilijevukadinovic6843]

@pogo1140 it's simple. I said max range 400km. And yes that is in certain scenarios. The point is that it is the longest range missle and flys hypersonic speeds. No one else has this. Yhe closest thing is the meteor and eventually the aim260. So my point still stands. Do u have anything else stupid to say?

[@johns818]

I effin love this channel

[@davidtennien39]

Great video

[@Aizazell]

What was your TTP SOP in the E, the strike eagle if you were delivering a payload, and were jumped by adversaries... Before delivery and After delivery????

[@abdulmismail]

Hi Ryan. I thought it was the MiG-29 which was developed to counter the F-16 and the Su-27 was designed to counter the F-15; not that the Su-27 won't encounter the Ukrainian F-16s. A few points though; 1. The Russians have the R-37 Vympel hypersonic missile with a range of 200km, well out of the range of F-16 AMRAAMs (~100km) so I can't see any merges happening. 2. The Russians will have S-400s deployed on their side of the border, in Belarus and in Crimea so 400km of territory within the Ukrain/Russian border will be "no-go" areas. 3. Looking at Western engagements with Soviet/Russian aircraft where the kill ratio was really high in favour of Western aircraft isn't a real comparison because the export version of Russian aircraft are inferior to those that the Russians have. My best guess is, the Russians know everyone is watching so they're holding back - which makes their military look amateurish, but I think they're saving their best technology in case the West becomes too adventerous.

[@HanhweKim]

Thank you for the video. Don’t the Suhois have helmet aimed off boresight missiles? How would those be used against the F-16?

[@juavi6987]

The F-16 can have AIM-9X. But actually the Ukrainian MiGs do already have the same R-73 off-boreside missiles as the Russians do. What is missing is active-radar-homing long-range missiles which they will get with the F-16 in the form of AIM-120C

[@buzzpatch2294]

good info

[@usuariopimba707]

I have a feeling that the Russians are waiting for this, those Russian bases full of air superiority fighters in Crimea make me doubt whether it is a good idea to send any air vehicles there.

[@BakitracinTugungu]

So, in order to fight against the "Soviet" (he did say Soviet) technology on Su 27 (also Soviet technology), the F16 would need to enter temporal rift and travel to 1989. Makes sense.

[@bill-nn1vp]

One thing for sure.. the russians have always had a penchant for superior flight charcteristics.. look at the yak 3 during ww2.. the most manouveravle fighter of that time.. mig 15 same.. and su 57 they say,, is the most capable aerodynamic flight machine desingned in human history

[@Battlenude]

A very good on point Vid, thank you. I just want to throw in a wrench in here; The Su-35S and Su-30SM2, and yes lets focus on the later Flanker variant, cause frankly, its what the F-16 would come up against. You keept saying the F-16 9G capability. And that is fine, but so does the Su-35S. Now there is a catch here, the Flanker cannot do 9G with its internal fuel tanks topped up. They have get down to 5-6k of fuel before they can get up to 9G. So the Russian pilot have a few ways to go about this, it can actually dump its fuel out, like we recently saw they did on the US drone encounter over Black Sea. Or they can just loighter over frendly airspace until they get the fuel down, or they can just choose to take-off with NToW, meaning reduced fuel weight. They now have option to refuel in air anyway. I was at MAKS 2011 when USAF had F15E on display there. It was great, but there is nothing like a Su-35S with reduced weight cutting its corner in order to get off a Fox One. And lets be fair, Russia have R-77-1 and R 37 they can put on their Flanker fleet. They are not only for Mig-31 any more. And lets not kid ourself, the only way such engagement will happen is if both of them hugging the floor. As soon as you pull up, you are ripe for Anti-Air systems. And this goes for both sides.

[@Max_Da_G]

What you said about Flankers needing to be about 50% fuel to pull 9G is correct. And same would be true for the F-16. It can't pull 9G with its tanks full either.

[@slavetool9066]

Russia is phasing the SU-27 out of service. From what I understand there are few 27s left in service. More likely they will face SU 30, 35 etc.

[@hielkovisser4753]

great video

[@MaxAfterburnerusa]

Thanks!

[@gusjeazer]

Would you think fighter on fighter clashes will be kind of like what we have seen with tank on tank combat: almost never happens?

[@Nathan-vt1jz]

What about the R-37M air to air missile? Is that something the F-16 would have to deal with in Ukraine or are they in short supply like the SU-57?

[@Max_Da_G]

R-37Ms aren't in short supply. Western TV and politicians and generals had been making statements about what Russia will do and how long until they run out of missiles. Everything they said was wrong. Russia has no shortage of air to air missiles at least for this conflict.

[@amazin7006]

@@Max_Da_G No general has every said anything about running out of missiles. I just googled it and you completely made that up. Why do you lie? When you lie it's obvious that you're pushing an agenda

[@bertg.6056]

Great advice, Neo ! Super good presentation, thanks.

[@95talon07]

Good video

[@gabedaxe477]

I like how Batman fix the G force on his plane 😅 back to the video..

[@odins_claw]

Feel like I've just learnt a bunch of shit. Cheers man

[@kalifornia909]

Was hoping you would demonstrate this dogfight in dcs

[@RIRI-el6xm]

This will spread the technology on board, which version Does it have AESA radar or not and what types of missiles, what version. Incidentally, the pilot's experience counts. Between the Sukhoi 27 which is almost blind which has a moderately lock down shots down Doppler radar and FOX1 missiles which forces you to follow the target, or the Sukhoi 35 which has a powerful PESA radar and FOX 3 fire and forget, with 5 times the range of those from Sukhoi 27 is not the same world. We have an even bigger gap between an F16 C and an F16-72 with an AESA radar and AIM120 D, very long range. If we talk about pure aeronautical characteristics, this apart from any consideration of the weapon system, then the Sukhoi is more maneuverable, more powerful with a greater rate of climb, a higher power-to-weight ratio (but like the F16 is light, he still moves well, does not degrade his energy too much. An advantage for the Sukhoi but the fight will not be easy. We saw it against other aircraft which move well, even more than the Sukhoi type Rafale or Typhone, the ration is approximately 1 to 4 in training against its modern Fighter in simulated wvr combat (dog fight) (no one wanting to give the specter are radar in training (no BVR). If the F16 is a modern standard with an AESA radar and AIM120Ds, then the ration could be to its advantage. Not that the Russians don't have good missiles (quite the contrary) or powerful radar, but no AESA No active antenna on the Sukhoi 27-35. And this for the BVR is a definite handicap. Now an Su57 can illuminate for friends in SU 35 in real, collaborative and network combat.

[@ivanstepanovic1327]

1) R-73, Russian short range Fox-2 has the range of 30-40km, depending on version. Not 20 as you stated. 2) Newer versions of R-27 Alamo have range over 100km, but that's Fox-1, so not much use there, despite the range advantage. No idea why Russians still insist on Fox-1 missiles, TBH... 3) All Su-27 in Russian active use are capable to carry R-77 which is Fox-3, which you failed to mention... 4) Su-27 has helmet mounted sight for Fox-2. So, that's a problem in close combat for the other plane that doesn't have it Besides, Su-27 is not the only thing those 10-12 F-16s will have to face... Newer Flanker versions, MiG-31 with hypersonic Fox-3 R-37M and the range of around 400km, ground radars and SAM systems that have been proven to hit small targets like drones, cruise missiles etc... And the threat of their airfields being attacked at any point... Not looking good for them, tbh

[@nuurulbasarmohdbaki6046]

Bro question How do you switch jets? From F 16 to F15 as if both are the same?. interesting

[@markymarknj]

Doesn't the Su-27 have thrust vectoring though? Won't that be a great help in a WVR, BFM environment?

[@samicolgecen5310]

No. Only the SU30, 33 and the 35 versions have it, not the 27. I think one version of SU27 has it but it is being used as an airshow jet.

[@milenko8bradanov]

Su-27s don't have thrust vectoring control. Su-30SM and Su-35S do, and yes, it will help them in WVR BFM 1-circle.

[@Hypernefelos]

@@samicolgecen5310 Yeah, but Su-30s and Su-35s are the versions being used against Ukraine. Russia isn't sending its Su-27s there, either because they aren't as survivable or to avoid IFF mix-ups with Ukraine's Su-27s. Su-30s and Su-35s are also equipped with more modern missiles, so this comparison seems moot.

[@MemeManiaYT]

@@samicolgecen5310yes they actually do. You can look it up😂

[@MemeManiaYT]

@@milenko8bradanovyes the su 27 has better thrust to weight ratio bro

[@paullemon6542]

You’re totally awesome

[@danf4447]

some of the russian weapons and missiles can be fired 30+ degrees off boresight which is a big advantage!

[@markmclaughlin2690]

What block are these F16 they are getting?

[@sasababic4016]

If I'm pilot of f16, I will think twice

[@coryvb3056]

Love F16s! I heard they require a heavy amount of maintenance compared to other planes though?

[@Comm0ut]

They're easy to maintain. I did for ~22 years as a motor toad and crew chief. As long as parts are available it's easy to generate more mission ready aircraft than aircrew can use. I also worked F4 Phantoms which were very maintenance intensive, an important reason for their retirement because it required so many maintainers.

[@randysearle2702]

you didnt mention Su-35s are known to be carrying R-77s -which is without any doubt the greatest threat to the 16. Also while I think we can agree that the quality of pilots will probably be better with the Ukranians - their newness to the 16 wont help. Further - the 35s will probably be flying higher - and the Irbis-E is a PESA hybrid radar with a HUGE antennae diameter - while the block20 MLUs are running a -66 v2 or 3 with the upgraded computer - faster but still limited by mechanical scan and half the dish diameter of the 35.. I think its likely the 35s pick up the 16s first, and with R-77s put the 16s into the defensive first. If the pilots can notch em correctly i think the rest plays out like you said WVR - but I think its pretty likely that the engagements will start with the 16s defensive. Now I'm no Su-35 fanboy - I think it gets smoked by any of our current 4th gen flighters with their current sensor suites hands down - but the blk-20 MLU's are really long in the tooth now, and combined with brand new 16 pilots not even qualified flight leads yet seems to me the 16s will have both hands tied behind their backs in BVR. Tell me if you see it differently. defence-blog.com/russian-fighter-fired-and-lost-a-secret-missile-in-ukraine/

[@Mrblueridgeman]

My guess is Ukraine will primarily use the F16 for ground attack. That’s what they really need.

[@ivanperfetti9554]

hello, a question, I want to join the army and at the same time study a degree, is it possible?

[@toyotawitha20mm35]

The SU-27 at merge speed will out turn the F-16 within the first 2 turns, it can do a full 360 in 12 seconds, thats a 28 degree per second sustained turn

[@karanparmar7345]

One thing you didn’t mentioned about F16 … no doubt about an f16 but the main thing is which block the getting are those newly modified in block 70s

[@richardhoffmann179]

They are getting the Mid Life Update ones. They are equivalent to Block 50+

[@joec2083]

I like that fighter helmet on the shelf. It is cool looking.

[@camencowogh8333]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/imXXY4RopdeAbs0

[@gabrielgrycel01]

cool video

[@TAZZZZMAN]

i have a question i thoutght the viper was a rate fighter please let me know

[@MGPW01]

Martin Garrix training to fight in Ukraine? ;) sorry for the cheep shot, great video! Thank's, keep it up Man!

[@user-pp1ni2jy3f]

Ryan, what will determine this outcome is training and morale. The Western trained Ukrainians have the advantage in those departments. I bet you would make a great instructor.

[@johnrichard1417]

Aren't dog fights between combat aircraft very rare nowadays? I would have predicted that the main weapon against the F16 would be SAMs

[@barryc733]

Or Russian air to ground missiles! Russia just leveled several Ukrainian air bases! Ukraine doesn't have very good air defences, and Russia probably built the bases in the Soviet Era and knows where they are! Russia would just locate them using satellite's and hit them on the ground!

[@amazin7006]

@@barryc733 The war has gone on for 500 days and not a single Ukrainian air base has been hit, why are you lying?

[@gregchambers6100]

An SU 35 nose cone has been recovered so we'll have a much better idea on what they can see.

[@kaiserdelta1976]

Uffff....STR vs ITR. Greetings.

[@raoulberret3024]

The F-16 natural opponent here is the Mig-29, but the latter has not kept up with the times. Compare the comparables... However I understand, we are dealing with what we have.

[@kevinvanbeurden7341]

Have you ever flown anything other then US produced?

[@timhenderson6035]

There’s not much dogfighting anymore, normally now days they fire their missiles from a distance. You have to get up to date with your analogy. Russian equipment is like 20 years head of ours

[@victory3252]

SU 27 upgraded . Their internal filling is no longer Soviet. And they are being written off. Now, while the fighting is going on, they are still partially flying. They have long been replaced by other fighter models. SU 27s are living out their last flying days. According to official data, by the end of 2020, almost complete decommissioning of Su-27P and Su-27SM aircraft was expected, which were running out of flight life. Naturally, with the beginning of its aircraft continued to serve, which was repeatedly recorded by both our and Western media. According to the official video from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Su-27 in various modifications continues to be operated.

[@johnross6314]

Who wins? “Up to the pilot in the box”.. and his engineering mechanics. And who has most gas. They both have their advantages.

[@billthomas7644]

Most likely any engagements will be stand off as AD on both sides will keep them apart.

[@muhammedaliabbasi8379]

Please make a video on Turkish stealth jet tfx

[@christosswc]

The most frequent match-up in Ukraine will be F-16 meets S-400.

[@josephwallis8965]

great video, thank you, thank you and keep up your great work, Ukraine will win

[@Snowshredder1080]

Like you talked about the merge. Just plays sims but glat you covers 2 circle and rate fight. Viper wins that everyday.

[@sidharthcs2110]

Realistic scenario is these jets vs Air Defense systems

[@user-vr2eq3jp1t]

Great video and analysis, and here are a couple more factors. I flew F15s (including in Desert Storm) and V16s as an Aggressor at Nellis. Lose sight lose fight is a spot on lesson and the Su27 is MUCH bigger making it easier to keep track of for sure. Besides shear size, quality is another huge factor. In 1990 after the wall had fallen, we escorted 2 SU-27s from Alaska to Langley for an exchange visit. Later some of my guys went back to Russia but I missed that being in William Tell. Upon arriving in Virginia and examining the aircraft close up, the quality was just horrendous. The nose cone material literally looked like it was scraped with a cheese grater to get the shape. Rivets were missing and not flush, and the tires were rolled rubber and not pneumatic showing holes down to the rim! Therefore, reliability will be affected as the F16 is of so much higher quality in materials, fit and hence reliability. Having watched Russian SAMs fall apart midair during Desert Storm, the survivability of the F16 will be heads and tails above Russian quality. Besides quality, training is the be all, end all. Training establishes proficiency and repetition enhances survivability. As long as the Ukrainians fly often and train often, proficiency will reign in the air with a superior aircraft with superior visibility, superior energy management, and superior weaponry. Great job MaxAB!

[@Msoja8]

American non-sense.

[@akicaww]

why would you compare su27 to f16 if there are 110 su35s?

[@othyvitswamba1111]

Great content as always. I like the fact that you always try to point out the strengths and weaknesses of each of the aircrafts that you know of. At the end of the day, what I hope everyone want is this conflict to get resolved before more enoncent souls get wasted.

[@duggi4]

i Agree. We need to stop the killing for profit ASAP. The video is all about dogfighting 1 on 1 which actually the helmet mounted sights and IR seeker of the SU-27 would be better. He did not mention the 400NM radar missile that can go more than 9G terminal phase. Why would a Russian pilot A. turn on his radar in his nose when the passive IR Video seeker can track an F16 from 50 NM if high enough and B. close to dogfight range when he can Shoot and bug outside the effective range of an F-16 because it is doubtful the US will authorize AMRAAM use in a war. Dogfights are relics from the past. Modern warfare is all about weapons platforms and integrated network targetting.

[@johndave117]

wtf are you talking about, he didn't mention a single positive trait of the su 27 flankers even though it is literally better then the f 16 in all capacities except 2 circle rate fights.

[@prac2]

As you said, it comes down to pilot ability. Will they use American pilots?

[@sukkeri]

Russia is using Su-30, Su-34, Su-35 and Mig-31 in the war. Not so much Su-27. They are shooting missiles from long range inside Russia's borders.

[@rudypieplenbosch6752]

Dogfight with an S400, good luck with that one😅

[@mefobills279]

F16 needs pristine runways.

[@mitchjames9350]

I wonder how you would go in a Su27/30 and 35 since your training is different to the Russians.

[@patrickellinwood18]

Enjoyed this thanks. But “Soviet radar”? The Russians have not updated or redesigned their radar in 30 years?

[@TheTryzna]

UA pilots claim in every interview how they are beign launched upon(and shoot down) from beyond 120km ranges while flying on the deck, while adversaries are cruising at 40K.... (that tells all about ru radars) seriously, this video was full of crap. F16s wont change anything at all, unles they ll be given aims 120D, that could be real gamechanger, other than that, they burn just like Bradleys and Leopards.

[@voidtempering8700]

He is talking about the Su-27. Russias main jets are the Su-35 and Su-30SM, which have far better radars. But they lack many of the advanced systems that the F-16MLU has.

[@earthexplorer579]

Su 27 has extra fuel to spray infront of you

[@suyashsingh6976]

Falcon will have no chance in merge with the flanker especially going for the one circle, the HMS slaved archer will go it away before it can take the flanker into its HUD

[@GrantvsMaximvs]

The Russians have so far declined to use their front line fighters over Ukraine. It is doubtful the Vipers will meet their Flankers, but if they do, it'll be a good fight.

[@clintstinkeye5607]

The ground, air, spy satellites ,artillery, drone, logistics and media possibilities give me a headache and insomnia. Thanks. Who needs sleep?

[@jerryp7721]

By staying on the tarmac?

[@giorgosmar6583]

We would like an analysis on the ecm. You also do not mention anything about the electro-optical system that the Russian aircraft has and the role it can play in a terrain such as the Caucasus Mountains. Terrain which the Russian aviation will in any case exploit as the electro-optical is designed precisely for this terrain.

[@danf4447]

f16 has no 3d thrust vectoring which is a game changer. and neither plane is stealthy but the f16 is a bit smaller. so...hard to say- tough match

[@dennisarzubiaga2833]

Can you explain why the F-16 is a good multi-role fighter and does it have the latest Aesa radar? Is it as fast as the F-15’s and Dan they be used like the A-10 to attack tanks and SAMs? Your input is highly welcome looking forward to the show. One more thing how will it do against other jet aircraft with missiles?

[@milenko8bradanov]

F-16 MLU that UA pilots would use, will not have AESA radar. F-16 MLU are still good multi-role fighters, because they can carry various type of ordnance, from air-to-air Fox3 Aim-120 AMRAAM to Laser-guided GBUs (which was not possible for UA's Su-27 or MiG-29). Clean F-15C will be faster than clean F-16 MLU, but the global performance will hugely vary according to the loadout. If you are talking about how good the F-16 is as a multi-role fighter, you cannot compare it to the A-10. UA will most likely use their F-16 MLU as hit-and-run fighter-bombers, whereas A-10 can only be used when airspace has been secured already. Regarding anti-SAM missions (SEAD/DEAD), F-16 MLU are not able to complete these missions in their default setting (though some of them might, with some modifications). How good the F-16 MLU will do against other aircraft is up to the training and the tactics.

[@dennisarzubiaga2833]

@@milenko8bradanov Thankyou very much for the explanation and appreciate your time and effort and service. It’s awesome the lingo and the efforts of great fighter pilots like yourself.

[@bryanbernart439]

I fear that they'll get swatted early on. The learning curve when fighting a new aircraft-to them-is steep AF.

[@amazin7006]

@@dennisarzubiaga2833 Paper stats don't matter much, what matters is weapons loadout and deployment strategy. This is why modern fighters are so deadly, they have access to so much more information at once constantly communicated and updated in real time to be able to strike with precision, It's like a boxer with the strongest punch vs a boxer with the best technique. The power of a punch doesn't matter if it can't land.

[@dennisarzubiaga2833]

@@amazin7006 Thankyou for explaining it to me now I know

[@TheEmmef]

How big is the chance there will be dogfights versus integrated air defence shooting the F-16 down?

[@pogo1140]

depends on how deep into russian held territory. 30 miles west of the battle line zero threat from the GBAD, but then the SU's will have to be launching inside the Ukrainian GBAD envelope to be a threat.

[@TheEmmef]

@@pogo1140 But according to the internal Pentagon papers leaked, Ukraine barely has *integrated* air defence left and concentrates that on important areas, not anywhere near the front. That leaves mobile air defences (I do not know if that is considered "integrated"). I also do not know the exact meaning of GBAD.

[@pogo1140]

@@TheEmmef And yet less than a month ago Russia managed to lose 2 jets and 2 helicopter in less than 5 minutes while they were over Russian controlled airspace

[@TheEmmef]

@@pogo1140 Accidents happen on all sides. It is war, so all sides both lie and present selective information, so in the West you will be likely to hear more about Russian accidents, failures, and despair and in Russia the other way around. That is why you have to compare all propaganda and deduce the middle ground. Mobile air defence is not per se useless and it is perfectly possible to shoot something down if you happen to have the right conditions. I am just trying to establish information based on what I already heard. I am not trying to prove anything, but I also do not want to fall for wishful thinking, especially if it costs many lives.

[@ShadeAKAhayate]

@@pogo1140 You mean Russian-controlled airspace is under Ukrainian SAM coverage? Or perhaps that was an isolated incident of successful raid?

[@alexbyrd7209]

It could end up to be F16 vs. S400 or S350 if we are speaking Ukraine :)

[@viktortulbya2107]

How many f16s is America willing to lose to this

[@blackgruya011]

Another thing about missiles, those you mentioned are ancient history, theres totally new setup of Russian missiles in use now. R-73 is still the best short range missile, not to talk about R-77 and other active missiles. F 16s are doomed to die if they show in ukraine

[@bret9741]

Another comment/question??. How will the F-16’s do without AWACS and Electronics warfare platforms. Also the US probably isn’t going to give its newest AMRAAM or the Meteor that have the range needed.

[@pogo1140]

Ukraine uses ground based radars and EW platforms

[@murrydog100]

NATO has Awacs and Rivet Joint assets over Ukraine 24/7 since the start of the invasion. How do you think they know when to sound air alarms when they detect Mig-31 or Russian bombers taking off from inside Russia and Belarus bases or cruise/drone strikes from the Black Sea area?

[@pogo1140]

@murrydog100 us has satellites that look for missiles launches. It's also easy to know when the Kinzhal is coming if you have someone near the 2 bases where the mig-31's are based.

[@bret9741]

@@pogo1140 wow

[@pogo1140]

@bret9741 am I the only one who noticed that the Russians only have 6-8 MiG's that can launch the Kinzhal?? And that there are only 6 bases that can service them and only 2 are close enough to the missile launch points??

[@The80sCat]

I think the pilot makes the difference. The Ukrainians will be rookies with these planes going up against Russian veterans.

[@snakes111b]

but most important thing will play the pilots experience

[@Clubtender]

I loved this. It was very informative. I would also like to see your opinions on the F-18C vs the Su-27 because it looks like Ukraine may be getting Australia's 41 F-18C's

[@jayhope615]

those f-18 are going to be turned to scrap metal real quick..

[@philippem5772]

Are you sure? Australia has super hornets, are they sending those?

[@tonyroberts4807]

​@philippem5772 Australia used the legacy hornet before the super hornet. That's what they're going to give/sell to Ukraine.

[@philippem5772]

@@tonyroberts4807 Yeah I thought so, I hope they don't go to waste. It's not like the RAAF has a huge amount of fighters, even tho they are legacy.

[@Clubtender]

@@philippem5772 I think that they are talking about sending the older C and D models. I could see the D models being used as little bomb trucks that can come up and fight after they've dropped their load.