A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet took out an airborne Russian Su-35 for the first time in the war — two years after the US-made aircraft arrived in the country, America’s top military chief said.
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told US lawmakers on Tuesday that the aircraft provided by America to Ukraine has proven to be a huge success.
“Recently, we had the first air-to-air kill where a Ukrainian F-16 shot down a Russian fighter,” Caine said on Tuesday.
While Caine did not identify the Russian aircraft, Ukrainian media said it was an Su-35 that was shot down in eastern Ukraine on July 8.
The US-made F-16 fighter jets arrived in Ukraine in 2024. NATO allies trained Kyiv’s pilots to fly the aircraft to help bolster the country’s air defenses against Moscow’s relentless bombardments.
The F-16s have been successful in intercepting Russian missiles and drones, but previous rocket shortages have kept the fighter jets from reaching their full potential.
The July 8 strike, however, represents a first in the war and a big leap for Ukraine’s defense and counterattack systems, Caine said.
“I think their ability to scale their layered defense has come a long way over the last couple years with the help and assistance of many,” he told lawmakers.
Ukraine is believed to have a total of 39 F-16s in service after losing at least three against Russia, according to local media.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has touted the aircraft as one of the country’s most powerful and sought-after tools to defend against Moscow’s attacks.
Ukraine is currently in the process of receiving seven additional F-16s from Belgium this year, with the ally country reportedly set to transfer its entire F-16 fleet of 43 aircraft in the coming years.
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