‘This is war, not the Olympics’: Top F-16 pilot criticizes US restrictions on strikes against Russia

In today’s brutal war, where every shot and every operation can be decisive, restrictions on the use of weapons can become a serious obstacle to victory. This issue is particularly acute for Ukraine, which is waging a fierce struggle for its independence and territorial integrity against the Russian Federation. In this context, retired Lt. Col. Dann Hampton, one of the most famous F-16 pilots of the US Air Force, issued a sharp criticism of the US government for its restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to strike Russia.

Hampton, a veteran of military campaigns in Kosovo, Iraq and the Persian Gulf, d interview “Voice of America” ​​expressed its opinion about the absurdity of such restrictions. According to him, such prohibitions look ridiculous and inappropriate in the conditions of a real war. He recalled his younger days when he was stationed in Germany and his targets were in Russia or the then Soviet Union.

“This aircraft is capable of carrying out these strikes, regardless of how it is used now. The ban is simply ridiculous. I don’t care what Putin thinks, and our politicians should not pay attention to his threats.” Hampton said.

Hampton emphasized the dishonesty and brutality of the Russians, who do not hesitate to use North Korean ammunition and Iranian drones to strike Ukraine. He emphasized that Russia has recruited a significant number of mercenaries for the war against Ukraine, which further complicates the situation. With this in mind, he considers the argument that Western countries can cut off arms shipments or seize aircraft in response to strikes on Russia to be completely absurd. He also criticized the ban on strikes against the Russian Federation.

“I think the ban is ridiculous. I mean, I don’t care what Putin thinks, I don’t care about his sensitive topics and his threats. So politicians shouldn’t care about that either. And when they give you guns, you should be allowed use it as you see fit.

Russians do it. I mean they have bad North Korean ammunition that doesn’t work 80% of the time, but they use it against the Ukrainians.

They recruited people from all over the world to use as mercenaries on the front lines because so many young Russian men say they won’t go there, they don’t believe in the war and they don’t believe in Putin, so he has to look elsewhere.

It’s a fallacious argument that “we’ll give you a gun, but you can only use it so far.” This is war. This is not the Olympics. This is not a sporting event. When you have to fight, you go and fight to win.

And besides, what will the West do, take the plane? You know, they are now in Ukraine. It wouldn’t have come to that, in any case, I’m exaggerating. But I think you should be allowed to use any weapon. You need to put the Russians back where they belong.

Many people are thinking about whether our American (Western) pilots are going to come to Ukraine and help. And the answer is that in the long run you will be training your own pilots in your own country. Now the pilots who have been trained – and they themselves will say this too – they don’t have enough time or experience in the plane to teach others.

But there are people like me who get involved. If we remove the restrictions that would allow us to come as volunteers and help Ukraine, then we would be able to solve this problem.

All countries that have F-16s and operate them for some time have their own training programs in their country. It’s cheaper, it’s faster, and you train where you would potentially fight, which is the case for most of these countries. Because F-16s are used in Europe mainly within the borders of their country. This is not the case with us, because unfortunately we are everywhere in the world, but most people fight and defend their country. And this is what Ukraine wants to achieve, and we can certainly help with this, if there is a desire.

If I were to make a decision, I would focus on one type of aircraft. Because all these jets – Mirage, Gripen – have the same logistical requirements, they are quite complex aircraft. And all you’re doing is getting three or four different types of aircraft, you’re wasting effort that could have been put into one. And if there was peace in Ukraine, I’d say keep experimenting with these aircraft and see which ones you like the most But you’re not in peacetime, you don’t have the resources or time to expand to other types of aircraft.

You decided to go for the F-16s, and you’ve already got them. And there’s a pretty large pool of pilots like myself who would come and help if we were asked, that could make a difference.

With French jets, do you know the last time France won a war? The Swedes are a good plane, good people, good pilots. But again, these are all pretty complex platforms, and I think you have enough to worry about right now with getting F-16s that your Air Force can use right now.

Also, once your air force has mastered the F-16, you can upgrade to the F-35, which really makes the Russians wet their pants because there is no other aircraft in the world that compares to it.

I know the Swiss Air Force just switched from the F-16 to the F-35. I know a few of their pilots and they rave about it. So that’s the next step for Ukraine, but it has to start with the F-16, and I think your government wants to focus on that, but it’s not up to me.

Your people already know that politics, unfortunately, play a large role in conflict. And they should remember their faith in each other and their love for their country when things don’t seem to be going as expected in Washington or anywhere else. So just hang in there and pray that we can help where we can, and we will.” – said the pilot.

We will remind that right now the USA is conducting negotiations with Ukraine regarding the permission to strike on the territory of Russia with American weapons. This step could significantly reduce the threat of Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities and villages, which is vital for protecting the territory and population of Ukraine from Russian terror. These negotiations have the potential to change the dynamics of the war and ensure more effective protection of the Ukrainian state.