Russia is quickly depleting its fleet of warplanes through overuse, and Ukraine deploying F-16s could worsen the situation: expert

Mon, 08/14/2023 - 09:53

Russian jets — Members of the Russian Air Force perform with their Su-27 type aircraft during the International Air Show at the Hungarian Air Force base in Kecskemet, southern Hungary, on August 3, 2013.
ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images

An expert said the Russian air force is being depleted through overuse in Ukraine.
The arrival of Ukraine's F-16s could worsen the problem, wrote Rand's Michael Bohnert.
Ukraine says it urgently needs F-16s to reduce Russia's air dominance.

Russia's fighter planes are malfunctioning because of overuse, handing Ukraine a potential advantage in its air battles against the Russian air force, an expert said.