Ukraine Loads Up F-16 Vulcans With 50,000 Danish Rounds for Russian Drone Intercepts

Denmark has supplied Ukraine with more than 50,000 rounds of 20mm ammunition for the cannons aboard its F-16 fighters, giving Ukrainian pilots a far cheaper way to destroy Russian drones than using scarce air-to-air missiles, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reported on October 23.

Ukrainian pilots are already using the ammunition during interception missions against both jet-powered and propeller-driven Russian strike UAVs.

The cannon option is particularly valuable against drones because it allows F-16s to engage relatively inexpensive targets without expending guided air-to-air missiles that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or more and are needed for higher-priority threats.

The F-16’s primary gun is the M61A1 Vulcan, a six-barrel 20mm rotary cannon capable of firing at rates of up to 6,000 rounds per minute.

The weapon uses 20×102mm ammunition, including armor-piercing incendiary and high-explosive rounds. Its effective range against aerial targets is roughly 1,000 to 1,500 meters, requiring pilots to close much nearer to a drone than when engaging it with a missile.

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That makes cannon interceptions more demanding, but also far more economical when conditions allow them.

Previously, a Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5F scored a first, shooting down a Russian S8000 Banderol cruise missile not with an air-to-air missile, but with bursts from its built-in 30mm cannons.

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