Ukrainian F-16s demonstrated high effectiveness in repelling an air attack on September 20

Ukrainian F-16s demonstrated high effectiveness in repelling an air attack on September 20

On September 20, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled a massive air attack by Russian invaders. Anti-aircraft missile systems, mobile fire group crews, and, of course, F-16 pilots were actively engaged.

At the same time, the "lion’s share of the downed X-101 missiles today" is credited to Ukrainian Fighting Falcons, as noted by the Air Force. Ukrainian defenders once again thanked their partners for the provided aircraft and shared footage of combat operations.

What is known about the fighters provided to Ukraine

The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine, lightweight, multirole fourth-generation fighter developed by General Dynamics.

In 2023, Ukraine’s allies formed the Aviation Capabilities Coalition, aimed at providing Ukraine with aviation support. As a result of the coalition’s efforts, several European countries agreed to transfer their F-16s.

However, the F-16 Fighting Falcon appeared in the arsenal of the Ukrainian Air Force only in the summer of 2024. The first known use occurred at the end of August 2024 during a massive missile and drone attack. At that time, F-16s shot down four missiles.

In December 2024, a Ukrainian F-16 downed six Russian cruise missiles at once, despite the aircraft carrying only four medium- and short-range missiles. According to the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Air Force, Yurii Ihnat, this achievement became a world record.

What is known about the invaders’ attack on September 20

From the evening of Friday, September 19, the aggressor country Russia launched another air attack on Ukraine, deploying dozens of kamikaze drones and decoy drones from various locations. Monitors also recorded the redeployment of Tu-95MS strategic bombers from the Far Eastern airfield "Ukrainka" to airfields closer to Ukraine. Later, it became known that Russia had mobilized aviation in the Murmansk region, which launched X-101 cruise missiles in the early morning.