Video: Let’s talk about Ukrainian F-16s seeing action for the first time

The newly arrived Ukrainian F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets have racked their first kills.

On Monday, Russia unleashed the largest missile and drone attack on Ukraine thus far. The Russian military launched more than 230 suicide drones and ballistic and cruise missiles against Ukrainian urban centers and critical infrastructure.

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian military shot down 201 of the incoming missiles and suicide drones. Although most were destroyed by Kyiv’s potent air defenses, which include MIM-104 Patriot, NASAMS, and IRIS-T air defense batteries, several fell prey to Ukraine’s newest fighter jets.

Ukrainian F-16s successfully shot down multiple cruise missiles in their first combat operations disclosed to date.

“Among those aerial victories were reportedly several cruise missiles taken down by Ukraine’s new F-16s,” Alex Hollings, Sandboxx New’s Editor-in-Chief and host of AirPower on YouTube, said on the latest video.

The exact number of F-16s participating in the interception of the Russian munitions or the type of weapons they used isn’t known.

And when it comes to the munitions they intercepted, “it is much more likely that these F-16s played a part in taking down the majority of cruise missiles that Russia threw on Ukraine on Monday night,” Hollings added.

If you want to learn more about Ukraine’s F-16 fleet and its role in the conflict, watch our latest video above.