Unconfirmed reports claim that a Ukrainian F-16 was responsible for shooting down a Russian Su-35S Flanker fighter over the weekend. If the latest claim proves to be true, this would be the first time a Ukrainian F-16 has shot down a Russian aircraft, a mission it was originally designed to do some 50 years ago. While we don’t know for sure what was responsible for bringing down the Russian jet, there’s no doubt that the F-16 is becoming an increasingly important part of the Ukrainian Air Force’s arsenal, for both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
An official claim of the destruction of the Su-35S — one of Russia’s most modern combat aircraft — was posted by the Ukrainian Air Force on June 7. On the social media platform X, the claim was accompanied by a silhouette of a Su-34 Fullback strike aircraft — a different but related jet. Meanwhile, a brief statement on the Ukrainian Air Force’s Telegram channel said the Su-35S was downed “as a result of a successful operation in the Kursk direction.”
That the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) lost a Su-35S in a morning operation on the 7th seems beyond doubt.
Imagery shared online shows a crash site, indicating the loss of a Su-35S, although the cause remains unclear. One video is taken from one of the helicopters involved in the search-and-rescue effort for the pilot. Based on open-source imagery, this would be the eighth example of the Su-35S lost in combat since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
It’s notable that the Ukrainian Air Force, while claiming the destruction of the jet, didn’t state the weapon that brought it down. While it may have been a crewed fighter, the Ukrainian Air Force is also responsible for long-range surface-to-air missiles that have previously taken a toll on Russian aircraft operating in their own airspace.
According to unverified claims, which appear to have first been published in the German newspaper Bild, the Su-35S was shot down by an F-16. Furthermore, the same source claims that targeting data was provided by a Saab 340 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, at a distance of around 200-300 kilometers (124-186 miles) from the Russian fighter. At this stage, there’s no confirmation that the Saab 340 AEW&C, two of which have been pledged to Kyiv by Sweden, have actually arrived in Ukraine.
Provided the claims are true, and once again, they are entirely unverified at this point, the F-16 would have worked alongside the AEW&C platform in a way that TWZ outlined when it was first confirmed that the radar planes were being supplied to Ukraine:
“[The] Saab 340 AEW&C will be able to work as a fighter control asset, detecting targets, prioritizing them, and then assigning them to the fighters for interception. The same data can, of course, also be passed on to other air defense assets. However, the F-16 and Western-supplied ground-based air defense systems are most relevant in this regard, since the radar plane is fitted with the NATO-standard Link 16 datalink communications system.”
“Link 16 will allow the operators onboard the twin-turboprop Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft to provide a real-time air defense ‘picture’ and targeting data to compatible systems in the air and on the ground, essentially filling a critical node in a modern integrated air defense system (IADS).”
The characteristic ‘balance beam’ radar fairing on the upper fuselage of the aircraft carries the Saab (previously Ericsson) Erieye active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. This can detect a variety of air and sea targets at ranges of up to around 280 miles, with the aircraft typically operating at an altitude of 20,000 feet.
If an F-16 downed a Su-35S without AEW&C support, that would arguably be even more impressive. This would also mark the first air-to-air kill by an F-16 in Ukrainian service (other than drones and cruise missiles).
Meanwhile, Ukraine has so far lost three F-16s, although it’s not clear how many of these were due to enemy engagements.
The most recent loss was last month, in an “emergency situation” that the Ukrainian Air Force said happened after the pilot “destroyed three air targets and was working on the fourth, using an aircraft cannon.” The pilot is said to have taken the fighter away from a settlement before successfully ejecting.
“Thanks to the prompt work of the search and rescue team, the pilot was quickly found and evacuated,” the Ukrainian Air Force added. “The pilot’s well-being is satisfactory, he is in a safe place, his life and health are not in danger. A commission has been appointed to objectively clarify all the circumstances, and it has already begun work.”
In April, Ukrainian F-16 pilot Pavlo Ivanov, 26, “was killed in battle defending his native land from the invaders,” the Ukrainian Air Force stated at the time.
In August 2024, F-16 pilot Oleksiy Mes died during what was, at that time, Russia’s largest aerial barrage of the war. Before his F-16 went down, Mes, who went by the callsign “Moonfish,” shot down three Russian cruise missiles and a one-way attack drone, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed at the time.
In all, around 85 operational F-16s have been promised to Ukraine. That total includes 24 from the Netherlands, 19 from Denmark, and 12 from Norway (with the same country providing 10 more that will be used for spare parts), while Belgium says it will supply 30. Of this grand total, it should be noted that at least some of the jets are not being sent to Ukraine but are instead being used for training Ukrainian pilots, primarily at the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) in Romania. The U.S. is now donating airframes it says are not airworthy, which you can read more about here.
Generally, few details have been released about how Ukraine is using its F-16s, although official and unofficial imagery reveals specific details of load-outs used in operational air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The type has also been flying combined air operations and has been noted on various occasions lobbing Small Diameter Bombs (SDB).
Provided that an F-16 downed the Su-35S, it would have almost certainly used an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). This is the aircraft’s primary air-to-air weapon, carried alongside the AIM-9X Sidewinder and the earlier AIM-9L/M Sidewinder infrared-guided air-to-air missiles. The same missiles are also used by Ukrainian F-16s flying regular counter-drone and counter-cruise-missile sorties.
In regards to AMRAAM, even before F-16s were delivered to Ukraine, TWZ noted some of the advantages this missile would bring for the Ukrainian Air Force:
“Considering Ukraine’s air force is being haunted by the long-range R-37 air-to-air missile, which Russian aircraft are firing at Ukrainian aircraft at great distances to limit their own risk, giving Ukraine a longer stick — any longer stick — would certainly be prized. It is what Ukrainian fighter pilots seem to believe would make the biggest difference, too.”
There is also the very real possibility that it was a ground-based air defense system used by the Ukrainian Air Force to bring down the Russian jet.
In the past, the Patriot air defense system, in particular, has been used to down fixed-wing tactical aircraft and helicopters flying within Russian airspace, and it has reportedly successfully targeted aircraft at a range of around 100 miles. Starting in May 2023, Ukraine began pushing forward Patriot batteries to reach deep into Russian-controlled airspace. Most dramatically, a string of Russian aircraft was downed over Russian territory that borders northeastern Ukraine.
In December 2023, Ukrainian Patriot operators used similar tactics against tactical jets flying over the northwestern Black Sea.
Regardless, after many months of waiting for the F-16 and repeated refusals from Washington, Ukraine has rapidly introduced the type to operational service.
It was less than a year ago that the F-16 was first confirmed as being in the country, and since then, the type’s mission scope has expanded. Ukraine is clearly grappling with the challenge of introducing an altogether new, Western combat aircraft, differing in many respects from its Soviet-era equipment.
Regardless of whether or not an F-16 was involved in the demise of the Su-35S over the weekend, the type’s significance in the air war is only set to grow, as experience builds and additional examples are delivered.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com