Ukrainian F-16 Pilot Sets World Record by Shooting Down Six Missiles in a Single Mission

For the first time in history, an F-16 fighter jet destroyed six cruise missiles during a single mission, with two of them being shot down using aircraft cannon, Yurii Ihnat, a former spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, revealed on January 7.

The breakthrough was achieved by a Ukrainian pilot during a large-scale Russian missile attack on December 13, 2024.

The F-16 was armed with only four air-to-air missiles of both medium and short range. The pilot first launched two medium-range missiles at distant targets, successfully destroying them. He then closed into approximately two miles to engage another pair of missiles with short-range weaponry.

“I approached the second pair, locked onto the missiles, and saw interference from Russian electronic warfare systems. That didn’t help them much,” the pilot recounted. “The first shot—target down, second shot—another hit! Seeing those impacts with my own eyes was beyond satisfying. With some fuel left in the tanks, the mission continued.”

As directed by the ground control, the pilot moved to a standby zone to allow a colleague flying a Su-27 to engage the remaining targets. However, a new missile appeared on his radar, heading toward the Ukrainian capital.

The pilot reported his readiness to intercept. But there was a catch—his F-16 was out of missiles, leaving only its high-speed aircraft cannon as a weapon.

“I knew hitting a missile traveling at over 650 km/h would be difficult,” he explained. “I had to spot it in the sky, match its altitude, and fire from a distance of no more than 500 meters, accounting for lead time. Getting any closer was risky—if the 450 kg warhead detonated, it could severely damage my aircraft or worse.”

Drawing on recent training in the US, the pilot executed the maneuver flawlessly, despite having practiced using the aircraft cannon only on simulators.

“I followed the exact protocols the instructors taught me,” he said. “A few bursts from the cannon—and explosion. Then, another blast! Initially, I thought it was a secondary detonation, but post-mission analysis revealed there were two missiles flying in close formation.”

This tactic, often used by the enemy, makes multiple missiles appear as one on radar. “I may have set a record that day, but what matters most is the result,” he added. “I dedicate this success to all my comrades who never lived to see the F-16 in Ukrainian skies.”

In addition, Ihnat noted that Ukrainian F-16s can’t stand up to Russia’s technologically advanced fighter jets in aerial combat, as Ukraine has received older, less advanced modifications of the aircraft.

They don’t have such powerful radars and long-range missiles as the latest modifications of the F-16 jets, so the aircraft’s capabilities can not be fully used to challenge more advanced Russian fighters.

Earlier, Ukrainian artillery crews set a world record for the range of conventional field artillery, striking a target 70 kilometers away.