Ukraine's F-16 Took Down Russian Fighter Jet in ‘Historic First': Report
An F-16 fighter jet given to Ukraine reportedly shot down an advanced Russian plane thanks to the assistance of a Swedish reconnaissance aircraft.
German newspaper Bild said the Russian Sukhoi Su-35 jet had been downed in the northeast of the country in an operation it described as a "historic first."
Earlier, Ukraine's Air Force had said Saturday it had downed a Su-35 in Russia's Kursk Oblast, although it gave no further details.
The details of the incident reported by Bild and Ukrainian social media users have not been independently verified. Newsweek reached out to the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries for comment.
The fourth-generation F-16s arrived in Ukraine to much fanfare after the Biden administration finally allowed Kyiv's allies to provide them in a move that was hoped to change the battlefield calculus.
If confirmed, the operation in which an F-16 worked with a Swedish reconnaissance plane to down a Russian fighter would highlight a new level in Ukraine's aviation capabilities.
During a fight on Saturday in the northeastern Sumy region, Ukraine's Air Force used its fighter jets to bomb Russian positions inside the country and in Russia's nearby Kursk region, Bild reported. The outlet said Russia sent a high-tech Sukhoi Su-35 "air superiority fighter" into battle to down the Ukrainian fighter jets, but the Russian pilot "flew into an ambush."
Ukraine had deployed a Swedish Saab 340 AEW&C (Early Warning and Control) reconnaissance aircraft, which had been discreetly tracking the Russian jet from hundreds of miles away.
When it was close enough, the Ukrainian F-16 pilot used the necessary data to fire an AIM-120 missile at the Su-35, a 4.5 generation jet nicknamed the "Super Flanker."
The Russian plane crashed about 10 miles inside Russia, near the city of Korenevo in the Kursk Oblast. However, the pilot ejected to safety, according to Bild and the Ukrainian Telegram channel Stugna.
The Oryx website, which tracks equipment losses in the war, posted a still image dated Saturday of the destroyed Su-35, the first loss of such an aircraft since February 2.
As of Monday, Russia had lost eight of the aircraft, according to Oryx.
Military analyst Jake Broe, on X (formerly Twitter): "Russia lost another Su-35. Theory is that Ukraine now has operational their Swedish SAAB AEW&C planes with their F-16 fleet. This capability took years to fight for and obtain for Ukraine. Bravo everyone!"
Kyiv Insider, on X: "The location of yesterday's shoot down of a Russian Su-35 by a Ukrainian F-16 was fairly deep into Russian territory. We must credit the skill and bravery here."
Former Ukrainian Internal Affairs adviser Anton Gerashchenko, on X: "It is reported that for the first time in history, an F-16 has shot down a Russian Su-35 'Flanker...Thankful to Ukrainian Allies for providing us with the tools!"
The Ukraine Fights Telegram channel: "This is a historic moment, but now we have to camouflage the SAAB as carefully as possible."
Experts have hailed the incident as a breakthrough in Ukrainian air capabilities, and pro-Ukrainian voices on social media have praised the possibilities that Kyiv can neutralize Russian aviation and missile systems.
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