Ukraine's F-16 Combat Jet Intercepts Aerial Target in Rare Footage
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New footage appears to show a Ukraine-operated U.S.-made F-16 fighter jet intercept an incoming attack, providing a rare glimpse into Kyiv's wielding of the fourth-generation jets it started to receive last year.
Why It Matters
Ukraine now operates a handful of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, although Washington has not directly provided the platforms to Kyiv and many of the pledged aircraft have not yet arrived in the country.
Kyiv had clamored for F-16s for many, many months before the Western-made jets were finally deployed in Ukraine in late summer 2024.
Yet despite the pomp that enveloped their unveiling, relatively little has been heard about the long-awaited jets. They were quickly put into defensive roles but have stayed under the radar, and there is a sticky sense that they simply came far too late to make a real difference to Ukraine's war effort.
What To Know
A clip widely circulating on social media purports to show one of Ukraine's handful of F-16 jets intercepting an unspecified aerial target. A fighter jet can be seen moving away from the camera in the distance as an unknown object is consumed by gray smoke.
The Ukrainian Air Force's F-16 fighter jets fly in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024.
The Ukrainian Air Force's F-16 fighter jets fly in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024.
AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky
One open-source intelligence account claimed the intercepted object was a drone. Newsweek could not independently verify the footage, and has reached out to the Ukrainian air force for comment via email.
Ukraine initially leant on the F-16s to beef up its air defense against incoming Russian attacks, a trend that has likely continued as a continued shortage of air defense systems and interceptor missiles bites.
The Ukrainian F-16 are invaluable weapon systems, equipped with versatility which is necessary and this and most other military engagements. In this instance a drone has been shot down. pic.twitter.com/XijCMl8fgn — (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) May 1, 2025
Ukraine's air force said on April 24 that its F-16s and French-donated Mirage fighters were actively involved in defending against combined drone and missile attacks overnight.
"Ukrainian pilots have shot down dozens of air targets," the air force added in a statement.
At least two Ukrainian pilots have died operating F-16s since last summer, including 26-year-old Pavlo Ivanov, who died "while performing a combat mission" in an F-16 on April 12, the air force said.
Another pilot, named by Ukraine as Oleksiy Mes, died while "repelling a massive Russian combined air and missile attack" in an F-16 in late August 2024. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed shortly after the downed jet was donated by Denmark.
The Wall Street Journal reported in February that "friendly fire likely was involved" in Mes' death, citing unnamed sources.
What People Are Saying
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in early August 2024, confirming the arrival of the American-made jets, said: "F-16s in Ukraine. We did it."
Ukrainian war reporter Andriy Tsaplienko on Telegram: "An F-16 shot down a "Shahed" drone over the Khmelnytskyi region this morning."
What Happens Next
Ukraine will continue to receive F-16s and spare parts from its backers in the coming months.
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