Ukraine’s F-16 Scores First Air-to-Air Kill—Russian Su-35 Downed

A Ukrainian F-16 has scored its first air-to-air victory by shooting down a Russian fighter jet, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said during a Senate hearing on July 21.

Caine did not identify the Russian aircraft or disclose when, where, or under what circumstances the engagement occurred.

“We recently witnessed the first air-to-air engagement in which a Ukrainian F-16 shot down a Russian fighter,” Caine said.

He linked the milestone to Ukraine’s expanding layered air defense network, which has created better conditions for the country’s combat aircraft to operate.

“Over the past several years, with the support of many partners, Ukraine has significantly strengthened its layered defense system,” Caine added.

Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi assessed that the aircraft was likely the Russian Su-35 lost on July 8, 2026.

At the time, the Russian pro-war Telegram channels acknowledged that the fighter had been lost due to actions by Ukraine’s Armed Forces. The pilot reportedly survived and was rescued.

Russian propaganda channels later claimed a Patriot air defense system had brought down the Su-35 after becoming distracted during an engagement with Ukrainian aircraft. No evidence was provided to support that version.

Caine’s statement now indicates that a Ukrainian F-16, rather than a ground-based interceptor, destroyed a Russian fighter in an air-to-air engagement.

The reported victory marks a new stage in Ukraine’s use of the Western-supplied aircraft. Until now, Ukrainian F-16s had been used primarily to intercept Russian missiles and drones and to conduct precision strikes against ground targets.

Ukraine is expected to receive roughly 100 F-16s, supplied mainly by Norway, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The aircraft undergo repairs and modernization before delivery.

Most were produced between 1982 and 1990 and upgraded between 2000 and 2015. Despite their age, they can employ a wide range of modern NATO weapons integrated for the platform.

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Those weapons include AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles, AIM-9X and IRIS-T infrared-guided missiles, and low-cost APKWS rockets used against drones.

For ground strikes, Ukrainian F-16s can carry laser-guided weapons, JDAM precision bombs, Small Diameter Bombs, and potentially ERAM cruise missiles.

Previously, Ukraine was preparing to equip its F-16 fighter jets with German-made IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missiles, in addition to its existing arsenal of missiles.

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