Ukrainian F-16 shot down six cruise missiles

For the first time in history, a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet shot down six Russian cruise missiles in one combat mission.

Yuriy Ihnat, head of the Air Force Command Communications Department, reported on this.

The combat aircraft pilot used the F-16’s missiles and cannon to destroy the air targets.

This happened during a massive Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine on December 13, 2024. At that time, there were almost 200 enemy drones, Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles, ballistic missiles, and 94 air-, sea-, and land-based cruise missiles in the Ukrainian sky.

Cruise missiles were the main target for the Ukrainian fighter jet during this attack. Intercepting such important targets is not an easy task for a pilot. Still, Ukrainian pilots have the most experience in the world in combat operations against cruise missiles, Yuriy Ihnat noted.

The Ukrainian F-16 had only four air-to-air missiles at its disposal: two medium-range and two short-range. Most likely, these were AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder, respectively. The long-range missiles were the first to be used, and then the pilot had to get close to a distance of around two miles to use the short-range missiles.

“The navigator guides me to the enemy targets, a group of eight cruise missiles is on course. I approach the appropriate distance, see interference, which means the missiles have their own electronic warfare system – the so-called “personal electronic warfare systems”. The F-type sights are quite powerful, and if the target is already in the sights, even under the influence of EW, it will not escape from the onboard radar. I flew up to a suitable distance, locked on to the targets again, launched the missiles in turn and… hit – both targets were destroyed!” the pilot recounted.

The fighter jet pilot then flew to intercept the next cruise missiles.

“I flew up to the second pair, locked on to the missiles, and saw that they were also ‘emitting Russian EW signals,’ but it didn’t help them much. The first missile hit the target, and the second one did too! There was no limit to my joy because I saw all the hits on enemy missiles with my own eyes! There was still some fuel left in the external tanks, and the combat mission continued… The navigator gave me the command to go to the loitering area to let my brother-in-arms on the Su-27 work on the targets,” the pilot continued to recollect.

Aircraft cannon

The F-16 pilot followed the command from the control center and moved to the designated area. However, another Russian cruise missile was in his vicinity, heading toward the capital. The pilot decided to take a chance and use the rapid-fire aircraft cannon.

In the United States, pilots learned how to shoot down air targets with an aircraft gun exclusively on simulators. In a real flight, Ukrainian F-16 pilots had never used the cannon against missiles before. This time, everything went perfectly.

“At first I was looking for a target below – nothing. Then I gained altitude, raised the radar, and saw it. I did everything as the instructors in the US taught me, as I practiced on the simulator. A few rounds from the cannon – and an explosion… then another! A repeat detonation… I thought, but as it turned out, according to the results of objective control, there were two missiles! They were flying in a “stack” next to each other,” the F-16 pilot described.

The Russians often launch cruise missiles in a tactical configuration where a group of enemy missiles can fly close together so that Ukrainian radars will see them as a single airborne target.