Categories: WAR NEWS

Ukrainian pilot breaks world record by shooting down 6 Russian missiles in a single combat mission

This happened during a massive enemy attack on December 13, 2024: “According to objective control data, we have 100% confirmation of a historic first – the American F-16 fighter jet shot down six cruise missiles in an air defense combat, two of them using the aircraft’s cannon. And the person who did this is a Ukrainian,” said Yuriy Ihnat, Head of Public Relations for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The defender of the skies used 4 air-to-air missiles and the aircraft’s cannon to accomplish this.

The Ukrainian Air Force provides more details about this historic record:

F-16 – UKRAINIAN PILOTS BREAKING RECORDS

— Hello! They say even the Americans couldn’t believe you did it?!

— Yes, it happened…

This was the start of the conversation with a Ukrainian F-16 pilot. During a massive missile and drone attack in December 2024, he achieved the incredible! For the first time in the history of the Fighting Falcon’s usage, an F-16 fighter jet shot down six enemy cruise missiles in a single combat sortie!

— How did you manage that? — I ask the pilot.

— Everything happens for the first time… I tried it, and it worked! I’m sure this experience will come in handy for my colleagues.

— Okay, explain how four missiles can destroy six ‘cruise missiles’?

— Well, I have some secret weapon on board, the pilot laughs.

Let me remind you of what happened in the skies over Ukraine on the morning of December 13, 2024. A massive air attack by the occupiers, nearly 200 enemy drones in the sky, “Kinzhal” missiles, ballistic missiles, and… 94 cruise missiles of air, sea, and ground launch.

The “cruise missiles” were the primary target for the Ukrainian fighter. Intercepting such important targets is no easy task for a pilot, but who, if not the Ukrainian pilots, have the most experience in the world dealing with cruise missiles in combat?

— The navigator guides me to the enemy targets, and on course, there’s a group of eight cruise missiles, says the F-16 pilot. I get closer to the appropriate range, and I see the obstacles — that means the missiles have their own ECM (Electronic Countermeasures) — the so-called ‘individual protection ECM devices.’ The targeting system on the F-16 is quite powerful; if the target is already in the crosshairs, even under the influence of ECM, it won’t disappear from the onboard radar. I got into a suitable distance, locked on the targets again, launched the missiles sequentially, and… hit — both targets were destroyed!

The Ukrainian pilot’s F-16 only carries four air-to-air missiles: medium and short-range. The first missiles launched were the longer-range ones, and then the pilot had to close in to about two miles to use the short-range missiles…

— I approached the second pair, locked onto the missiles, saw that they were also ‘flaring with Russian ECM,’ but that didn’t help them much. The first launch — target destroyed, the second — also! There was no limit to my joy because I saw every hit on the enemy missiles with my own eyes! The external tanks still had some fuel left, and the combat mission continued… The navigator gave me the command to move into the patrol zone to let my comrade on the Su-27 take a shot at other targets.

The pilot followed the command from the control point — he moved to the designated area. But then another enemy target appeared on his course, which was evidently heading toward the capital. “Why not?” the pilot thought and reported to the ground that he was ready to engage. But with what?! The only weapon left on his F-16 was the high-rate-of-fire aircraft cannon! The pilot began closing in on the target…

— I knew the chances of hitting a missile traveling at 650 km/h+ were slim, says the pilot. First, I had to find it in the sky, level out to its altitude, and from no more than 500 meters away, fire ahead of it. And getting closer was extremely dangerous — if the warhead, weighing 450 kg, detonates, there’s a big risk to the aircraft, at the very least getting caught in a cloud of shrapnel.

The pilot understood this; he knew how dangerous it was, how much he was risking his life, and how to act in this situation, because he had recently completed retraining on the F-16 in the United States.

But there was one “but” — in the U.S., pilots trained on simulators exclusively when it came to shooting air targets with the aircraft cannon. In real flight, Ukrainian F-16 pilots had never used the cannon against missiles. Yet here, he did… and how he did!

— First, I looked for the target below — nothing. Then I gained altitude, turned on the radar, and saw it. I did everything as the instructors taught me in the U.S., as I practiced on the simulator. A few bursts from the cannon — and then an explosion… and another one! A secondary detonation… I thought, but as it turned out from the objective control results, there were two missiles! They were flying ‘in a stack,’ close to each other. The enemy often launches them in this tactical configuration, with a whole group of enemy missiles flying closely together, so the opponent sees them as one target. Well, that day, I probably set a record. But the most important thing is the result! I’m happy I succeeded, and I dedicate this achievement to all my comrades who went on their eternal flight, never waiting for the F-16 in the Ukrainian sky.

So, what was the outcome?

According to the objective control results, we have 100% confirmation that, for the first time in history, an American F-16 fighter jet shot down six cruise missiles in air defense combat, two of them using the aircraft cannon. And it was done by a Ukrainian!

The pilot is coming in for landing… The hero is greeted with applause and cheers at the airfield: both fellow pilots and technicians preparing the aircraft for the next sortie. The leadership of the Air Force Command at the control points didn’t hide their emotions either.

The Americans across the ocean were also pleasantly surprised to learn how their trainees were performing.

Yes, we would like to receive more powerful modifications of the F-16s, with more advanced radars and long-range missiles, because it’s quite difficult to compete in air combat alone with the advanced Russian aircraft. Currently, young Ukrainian pilots prove every day that they are the best, whether flying Soviet or American fighters!

Just imagine the formidable deterrent power that battle-hardened Ukrainian pilots will bring to the heart of Europe when the Air Force is equipped with, let’s say, F-35s!

Yuriy Ihnat