Jul. 22 — A Ukrainian F-16 shot down a Russian aircraft in an aerial fight for the first time, said Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during hearings in the US Senate Committee.

Caine did not specify which aircraft had been destroyed. He was likely referring to a Russian Su-35, whose loss the Ukrainian Air Force confirmed on Jul. 8, Militarnyi, a Ukrainian defense media outlet, said.

The next day, the 3rd Army Corps published a video of the Russian aircraft and its wreckage crashing in their area of responsibility. 

Ukraine has not officially reported what weapons Ukrainian forces used to shoot down the aircraft.

The Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber — which, according to Ukrainian intelligence, belongs to Russian captain Ilya Tumanov — reported that three Ukrainian F-16s and a Patriot air defense system engaged a Russian aircraft.

According to an analysis by the Ukrainian media outlet ArmyInform of a potential fight between an F-16 and a Russian Su-35, the Russian aircraft has an advantage in a close-range battle. But the F-16 operates as a single system in combination with air defense systems to destroy the Su-35 before such a close-range battle can even take place. Ukrainian pilots likely employed this strategy, journalists said.

Caine also mentioned this battle as an example of how Ukraine has strengthened its echelon defense, enabling air-to-air combat.

Militarnyi said that Ukraine will receive about 100 F-16 aircraft, primarily supplied by European countries. These aircraft were manufactured between 1982 and 1990, but they will undergo repairs and modernization before being transferred. They can use the full range of modern NATO weaponry available for this type of aircraft.

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