We’re all adults here and both know that’s not true - the US is literally making the payroll of the Ukrainian government.

But anyways, they’re already using US gear, tactics, ISR - why not this? You don’t need red blooded Americans to employ SEAD.

The US hasn't supplied Ukraine with aircraft capable of flying SEAD/DEAD according to USAF or NATO doctrine. The Fulcrums launching HARM (old versions at that) are using 10-20% of the missiles capability.

So no, other than one old missile, they're not using US gear, nor US tactics, nor US ISR for SEAD/DEAD.

> But anyways, they’re already using US gear, tactics, ISR - why not this? You don’t need red blooded Americans to employ SEAD.

They don't have the modern aircraft, or missiles that would make SEAD missions against modern Russian AA effective.

Despite the narrative most of the stuff Ukraine is getting is super old.

What’s newer than Patriots, HIMARS, HARMs and the other stand-off weapons and air defense that the West is donating?

Thats not most of what Ukraine has been getting though, the majority of what they have been getting is decades old like.

- Leopard 1's.

- M113 APC's

- Mig 29's

- Sukhoi 24's

- Mi-28's

- Mi-8s

The HARM's that you speak off, we don't know what variant they are but they won't be super effective because they cannot be effectively integrated with the aircraft Ukraine has so they are probably older variants using pre programmed fixed coordinate attack modes.

That should hopefully change once the F-16's arrive and they can start more effectively using more modern air borne weapons especially for SEAD.

The air defences are probably some of the most modern pierces of equipment that Ukraine has.

HIMARS are a good example of modern equipment with relatively modern munitions but they still haven't gotten any PrSM's or ATACMS.

Latest HARM has a 150km range. Kh-58 has a 250km range.

Where are the F-16s going to take off from (they need pristine runways)? Who will maintain them? How will they refuel without airtankers (they don't have enough range to make it to Donbas and back). How will they avoid the R37M (300km range) when the AMRAAM is not even 200km? And what about Russian SAMs and EW?

> Latest HARM has a 150km range. Kh-58 has a 250km range.

> Where are the F-16s going to take off from (they need pristine runways)?

Probably relatively far from the action.

> Who will maintain them?

Ukrainians its one of the reasons why its taking so long for them to get them.

> How will they refuel without airtankers (they don't have enough range to make it to Donbas and back).

They don't have to fight at the front line, they can be used effectively as missile trucks to throw long range weapons like Storm Shadow and other long range weapons at Russian lines.

If a SU25 and Mig29 can survive doing that a F-16 will have no problem.

> How will they avoid the R37M (300km range) when the AMRAAM is not even 200km? And what about Russian SAMs and EW?

The same way that the SU25 and Mig29 do, the F-16 will survive much better.

Apparently the old Warsaw block SUs and Migs (because the Ukrainian ones are long gone) survive so well that Ukraine is practically begging for F-16s…