
A pair of F-16s presented to Ukraine in August 2024, during which they could be seen carrying a mix of Sidewinder and AMRAAM air-defence munitions. (Getty Images)
A Ukrainian Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft has scored a “historic” success in shooting down multiple Russian cruise missiles during a single air-defence sortie.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Ukraine announced the event on 7 January, saying that a single F-16 had destroyed six cruise missiles during the mission in late 2024.
“F-16 Ukrainian pilots set records,” the MoD said. “During a massive missile attack on 13 December 2024 an F-16 fighter jet destroyed six cruise missiles in a single combat sortie. This marked the first time in the history of Fighting Falcon operations.”
In its account of the incident, the Ukrainian Air Force (UkAF) revealed that the F-16 had performed this feat using four air-to-air missiles (it did not specify if these were RTX AIM-9 Sidewinder or AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles [AMRAMMs]) and the aircraft's internal M61A1 20 mm cannon.
News of the success came months after Ukraine received its first batch of a reported 10 F-16s in early August 2024. At that time, the aircraft officially presented by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were shown carrying Sidewinders and AMRAAMs, indicating that the UkAF was prioritising air defence for these aircraft, initially at least (and this was reflected in Zelensky's comments at the time on closing Ukrainian skies to Russian missiles and aircraft).
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