A Ukrainian F-16 shot down a Russian warplane in air-to-air combat for the first time, U.S. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate.
The downed aircraft was likely a Russian Su-35 fighter destroyed on 8 July during a coordinated operation involving Ukrainian MiG-29s, F-16s and a Patriot battery. The Russian pilot reportedly ejected and survived. Ukrainian F-16s employ AIM-120C-8 air-to-air missiles with a range of up to 180 kilometres.
Ukraine currently operates approximately 50 older-generation F-16s supplied by the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.