Ukraine’s F-16 unit achieves 4,700 air-to-air ‘kills’ against Russian drones

Donated fighters play pivotal role in engaging drone threats during defence against Russian invasion.
The Ukrainian air force’s Lockheed Martin F-16s have shot down 4,700 one-way attack drones and cruise missiles since entering service, with its donated fighters playing a key role in defending the nation against Russian strikes.

Last month was the busiest recorded yet, with 1,100 such engagements completed.

Notably, while some interceptions have been conducted using air-to-air missiles and laser-guided rockets, the majority are completed using the F-16’s M61A1 Vulcan cannon, by day and at night.

“Our F-16 fleet fully illustrates that this is a true multi-role jet,” Ukrainian F-16 unit commander – call-sign “Phantom” – said at the Defence iQ International Fighter Conference in Munich on 5 November.

“We are heavily tasked in missions like counter-UAV, so 85% of all drones that are being intercepted are by my [fighter] wing,” he says.

“Why we are using the gun is mostly that the missiles – [Raytheon] AIM-120s or AIM-9s – of course they are expensive, but there are not enough,” he says. “We try to ration the munitions. If we have the gun we’ll use the gun, if we have APKWS we will use APKWS, and as a last resort, we’ll use AIM-9 or AIM-120.”

The laser-guided BAE Systems APKWS II rockets have emerged as a go-to weapon for counter-drone operations around the world, with a low purchase cost and high rate of production.

Regarding the service’s most frequent method of engagement, Phantom says, “The tactics are simple – get to the stern aspect, to the range you can shoot the gun, and just shoot the gun.” Notably, the intercepts frequently occur at an altitude of 28,000-33,000ft.

Phantom notes that one of the squadron’s pilots was made a Hero of Ukraine after downing eight drones during a single sortie, using 400 of the fighter’s 500 20mm cannon rounds. “Three days ago he beat his record, with nine drones, and he brought 80 rounds back as change,” he reveals.

Describing his pilots as “the best in the world”, he notes, “4,700 air-to-air ‘kills’ by a single unit has never been achieved before. This is because we get experience, and we get the tools that are really effective for this.”

While new pilots might initially struggle to match such a performance, he notes that the use of mentoring and in-country simulator training quickly brings them to an enhanced standard, where “next time they shoot down five”.

The principal use of the fighter’s internal cannon will be of note to multiple Western nations faced with the challenge of affordably intercepting drone threats, rather than relying on expensive and scarce short- and medium-range air-to-air missiles or much cheaper laser-guided rockets.

Phantom says the current air warfare situation in Ukraine is “difficult but stable”, adding, “The Russians increase their attack – as they don’t succeed on the frontline, they start to fight the war against our civil infrastructure and our population.”

The Ukrainian air force’s legacy jets – aged RAC MiG-29s, Sukhoi Su-27s and a few remaining Su-24s – are used in the strike role, armed with western precision-guided munitions (PGMs) and Raytheon AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles.

Kyiv’s F-16 fleet also has been employed to deploy PGMs, “and we support our legacy friends as a fighter”, he says.

Ukraine has not revealed how many F-16s are currently in active use – its air force has received or been or pledged secondhand fighters via European NATO nations Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, with training activities conducted at a dedicated school in Romania.

“We are trying to shift to a more modernised air force,” Phantom says, with this achieved via the use of donated F-16s, Dassault Aviation Mirage 2000-5s and Saab 340 airborne early warning aircraft.

Asked how prepared the Ukrainian air force is to add further western types to its inventory, he tells FlightGlobal, “The most challenging part of this is the logistics – even with the F-16, fleet sustainment is the number-one challenge.”

He notes that the air force recommended a two-type western fleet to its leadership in Kyiv. “Our draft strategy described two multi-role jet platforms – the first has already entered the fight: the best aircraft in the world, the F-16, and the second is the [Saab] Gripen, because we already signed the contract.”

Ukraine’s government also has expressed its intention to field the Dassault Rafale.

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