“Just get into range”: Ukrainian F-16 pilot set record with M61A1 Vulcan cannon
A Ukrainian F-16 pilot downed nine Russian drones in a single sortie.
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F-16
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Ukraine plans to rebuild its air force on NATO’s model by 2035. Its Air Force already knows which fighter it wants next, and why
Ukraine’s F-16s face thousands of Russian targets a month, many of them worn jets bought secondhand.
This is the fancy new F-16 Ukraine could get. It’s not what its pilots need most.
Ukraine could buy newly built F-16 Block 70/72s from U.S. firm Lockheed Martin. But that's not the greatest need.
Denmark rushes 50,000 cannon rounds to Ukraine to help F-16s hunt Russia’s advanced jet drones
Ukrainian pilots are already using the 20-mm ammunition to intercept jet-powered attack drones, as Russia deploys faster targets that challenge Ukraine’s air defenses.
Romania downs two Russian jet drones near Sulina, days before NATO allies meet on Black Sea security
Romania’s Defense Ministry released cockpit images of the shoot-down as allies prepare to discuss deterrence at a special session Romania requested.
Belgium’s 10 F-16s bring Ukraine’s promised fleet to about 100 jets. Fewer than 40 are flying, as Russia’s jet drones run them ragged
The rest arrive in batches through 2029, and every sortie against Russia's jet drones brings the jets already in Ukraine closer to long inspections abroad.
Russia is building jet drones that fly 800 kilometers per hour, and Ukraine says it is already working on how to stop next generation
Russia’s jet-powered Gerans fly several times faster than the propeller Shaheds and remain the main challenge for air defense.
Russia is out to break Ukraine’s economy this winter, Jetten says—and the Netherlands will help keep Ukraine’s drone-hunting F-16s in the air
Ukraine is finding ammunition for its F-16s “virtually all over the world,” Zelenskyy said on 5 October.
Ukraine’s answer to Russia’s jet-powered Shaheds: a small new missile named Nika, heading into testing
Russian jet-powered drones slip past Ukraine's defenses far more often than the older, propeller-driven models.
Ukraine keeps finding ways to replace its MiG-29s. It’s running out of MiG-29s to find
The latest loss came Thursday, when Capt. Marat Mambetov, 25, ejected after a Russian missile hit his jet on a strike mission but did not survive.
Belgium will send three F-16 fighter jets, but maintenance delays may keep Ukraine from using them
The likely reason is the lengthy maintenance process, which may keep many of the jets from shooting down Russian drones and cruise missiles attacking Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Mirage had killed a cruise missile on its first combat sortie. France just sent more of the missiles that reach 80 km
France arms Ukraine's Mirages with MICA missiles and cannon ammo, tripling to quadrupling the jets' cruise missile engagement range.
“What Ukraine needs right now”: Poland to provide Ukraine with scarce F-16 missiles to shoot down jet-powered drones
The aid package will also include aviation equipment, Poland’s deputy defense minister says.
Ukraine’s Swedish radar planes have flown inside Russian missile range for six months. None has been shot down.
Kyiv said nothing until this week. The planes can see 450 km, and Russia's best missile flies nearly as far.
Ukraine’s F-16s are so short of Western missiles that pilots fall back on jet’s built-in M61A1 Vulcan cannon, which risks killing civilians below
The AIM missiles the jets are rationing are the same ones defending Kyiv from the ground.
Ukraine chooses three Western fighters to build its air force around. One of them can fly again from stretch of road in 15 to 20 minutes
The Air Force settled on them after weighing cost, logistics, and repair speed.
Romania destroys a sea drone and finds aerial drone debris on its soil amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine
Both incidents occurred during the same overnight barrage that also triggered air defense activations in Poland and Moldova.
Warsaw confirms a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile overshot Ukraine and hit a field in Poland
The Kh-101 flew across Ukraine and traveled about 95 km inside a NATO member before it fell.
Ukraine loses another F-16 to onboard emergency
Ukraine lost an F-16 on 29 July during a mission to intercept Russian air targets.
Romania hits cost trap Ukraine spent years escaping: $400,000 missiles against $20,000 drones
Romania spent about €1.5 million downing three Russian drones over three days, mostly on F-16 missiles.