A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet has downed a Russian Su-35 in an aerial engagement for the first time since the start of the war, America’s top military officer said — marking a major milestone roughly two years after the US-made aircraft began arriving in Ukraine.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers on Tuesday that the F-16s supplied to Ukraine have delivered significant results on the battlefield.
“Recently, we had the first air-to-air kill where a Ukrainian F-16 shot down a Russian fighter,” Caine said on Tuesday.
Caine did not specify which Russian aircraft was destroyed, but Ukrainian media identified it as a Su-35 reportedly shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 8.
The US-made F-16 fighter jets reached Ukraine in 2024, after NATO allies trained Ukrainian pilots to operate the aircraft as part of a broader effort to strengthen Kyiv’s air defenses against Russia’s relentless missile and drone attacks.
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Since their deployment, the F-16s have helped intercept Russian missiles and drones, though shortages of rockets and munitions have limited how fully Ukraine could use the fighter jets’ capabilities.
The July 8 engagement, however, marks a first for the conflict and signals a significant advance in Ukraine’s air defense and counterattack operations, Caine said.
“I think their ability to scale their layered defense has come a long way over the last couple years with the help and assistance of many,” he told lawmakers.
Ukraine is believed to have a total of 39 F-16s in service after losing at least three against Russia, according to local media.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has touted the aircraft as one of the country’s most powerful and sought-after tools to defend against Moscow’s attacks.
Ukraine is currently in the process of receiving seven additional F-16s from Belgium this year, with the ally country reportedly set to transfer its entire F-16 fleet of 43 aircraft in the coming years.
