Why F-16s? Why Not F-22s or F-35? If your going to fight a war—send your best.
Because presumably Uke pilots must be trained to fly them, and to transition seasoned fighter pilots from the MiG29. Going 4th gen in a short window of time is not realistic.
Plus there could be private concerns that our best and newest ( which we are marketing to other countries) could perform……not as well as advertised in this environment when Russians hold back nothing.