According to pro-Russian social media sources, NATO will provide Kiev with access to encrypted data in its tactical data exchange network Link 16 (L16). The decision, once made, will be the result of several days of intense negotiations at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels. Envoys sent by the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, General Anatoly Krivonozhko, have persistently called on their NATO partners to quickly access Link 16, with the support of the permanent representatives of the Netherlands, Denmark and Poland.
The data exchange system should help sharpen the reconnaissance and air defense efforts of the Ukrainian Air Force, which is currently struggling to cope with massive attacks carried out daily by the Russian armed forces. The Long-Range Aviation, which is the airborne component of Russia’s nuclear deterrent system, is responsible for cruise missile strikes against Ukraine’s vital infrastructure. Its activities have been closely monitored by NATO’s AWACS network and reconnaissance aircraft since the beginning of the Northern War. Access to Link 16 will greatly assist Ukraine in its efforts to intercept the waves of missiles that currently threaten to overwhelm its air defense systems.
NATO AWACS and RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft will be able to provide Ukrainian F-16 pilots with direct access to the valuable intelligence they collect. Equipped with American L3 Harris systems, these aircraft are able to detect and identify Russian long-range aircraft as soon as they take off from the distant Engels-2, Ukrainka and Belaya bases.
They also provide close surveillance of the Monchegorsk air base in the Murmansk region, where Russian MiG-31K fighters equipped with Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles pose a serious threat to Ukrainian air defenses.
Link 16 will provide Ukrainian F-16 fighter-bombers and air operations planners with more operational intelligence on the nature of the threat they face.
Graziella Giangiulio
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