Flying fighters is a dangerous pursuit even in any situation," Vincent Aiello, a former US naval aviator who, in addition to flying F/A-18s, also flew the F-16 during his military career, told Business Insider.
Even defensive missions are still dangerous, as demonstrated by the recent loss of an F-16 during a combat operation defending against a massive Russian aerial attack.
Ukraine's F-16s were initially thought to be used for air defense roles, showing that even presumed safer missions can lead to high-risk situations.
Alternative missions for Ukraine's F-16s would be close-air support (CAS) or suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses (SEAD/DEAD) missions.
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