A Ukrainian Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jet has scored its first aerial victory. The supersonic F-16 fighter jet shot down a Russian cruise missile during a Russian airstrike targeting Ukrainian cities on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The downing came three weeks after the first of about 85 of the agile F-16s promised by Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway arrived in Ukraine.
It was clear from the start that the Ukrainian air force would deploy the F-16s for air defense duties. They were seen flying with a pair of AIM-9 infrared-guided air-to-air missiles and AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles. They have not been seen carrying any air-to-ground weapons, although they are highly compatible with Ukraine’s best Western-made anti-radar missiles and GPS-guided glide bombs.