IFC 2026: Ukrainian F-16s score record successes against Russian OWA UAVs, commander notes future fleet sustainment challenges

A Ukrainian Air Force F-16 combat aircraft departs on an air defence mission. The type is responsible for 85% of the air force's tally against Russian OWA UAVs. (Ukrainian Air Force)

The Ukrainian Air Force (Povitryani Syly Ukrayiny: PSU) is shooting down record numbers of one-way attack (OWA) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using its Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft, but faces challenges in supporting multiple aircraft types in the future.

Speaking at the IQPC International Fighter Conference (IFC) 2026 in Munich, the head of the F-16 wing, callsign ‘Phantom' (his real name and rank were withheld for security reasons), noted the success that his pilots have recently enjoyed in logging 85% of all PSU kills against Russian OWA UAVs. He tempered this though with the acknowledgment that the Ukrainian government's recent decision to field at least three modern Western combat aircraft types is going to cause the service major sustainment challenges in the coming years.

Counter-OWA UAV success

In terms of the successes against OWA UAVs, ‘Phantom' said that his pilots had shot down 4,700 unmanned aircraft since the Block 15 Mid-Life Update (MLU)-standard F-16s were introduced in August 2024, and that 1,100 had been shot down in October 2026 alone. These were mostly of the Russian Geran-type OWA UAV that is based on the Iranian Shahed design, and had been scored chiefly using the F-16's internal M61A1 20 mm cannon.