3 ms·
Yeah, obviously F-16's & humans scale very poorly for this. However: - At one-a-day scale, political and risk considerations probably favor the expensive solu
by bell-cot 3mo ago
Yeah, obviously F-16's & humans scale very poorly for this. However:
- At one-a-day scale, political and risk considerations probably favor the expensive solution.
- Using F-16's reveals nothing about your current anti-drone defenses. (Yeah, it's also a real-world basic competence test for your air force - for better and for worse.)
- If your intel people want more data on the drones, an F-16 can haul a whole lotta intel-gathering equipment to the show.
- If you're dealing internally with some head-in-the-sand traditionalists dragging their heels on updating your doctrine/equipment/training to deal with drones, then "real world, right now" examples are probably useful.
(BTW - do the articles say "a2a missile" anywhere? F-16's typically mount a 20mm cannon, a cheap drone is not a hard target, and cannon rounds are dirt cheap by compare.)
- nradov 3mo agoUkrainian F-16s have used cannons to shoot down some Russian drones. Cheaper than a missile, but a somewhat risky maneuver as it requires getting close at low altitude and possibly flying through the exploding debris. https://www.zona-militar.com/en/2026/02/09/ukrainian-f-16am-fighting-falcon-fighters-continue-hunting-russian-drones-with-their-m61-vulcan-cannons/ https://www.zona-militar.com/en/2026/02/09/ukrainian-f-16am-...
- bell-cot 3mo agoThanks. With the relative speeds, I'd guess the Falcons would use an attack profile similar to ground strafing - letting them pass well above the cloud of debris. Any thoughts? Also, Wikipedia gives a 3km effective firing range for the M61 - but it'd be no surprise if the F-16's standard targeting optics can't achieve that against small airborne targets.
- nradov 3mo agoThis video shows a Ukrainian F-16 doing just that along with reactions from a pair of experienced US fighter pilots. It seems they're shooting from closer than 3km. https://youtu.be/xuriiDzSB5k https://youtu.be/xuriiDzSB5k
- bell-cot 3mo agoFar closer, because (my impression) the F-16 has nothing resembling the targeting systems you'd want for this job. Hopefully a decent defense contractor or few sees business opportunities here.
- deleted 3mo ago[deleted]