Ukraine’s F-16s Launch Ground Strikes on Russian Targets

Ukraine is using F-16 fighter jets to launch ground strikes on Russian targets, Kyiv’s air force announced Wednesday.

The Ukrainian air force published footage of an interview with an F-16 pilot, who outlined how the military has been using the Western jets in the war against Russia, now in its fourth year.

Why It Matters

The announcement comes days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that new batches of U.S.-made F-16 fighters had arrived in the country. Kyiv has limited numbers of F-16s, and its military is making full use of the aircraft to defend against Moscow’s aggression in the full-scale invasion launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2022.

A still image from a Ukrainian air force video shows U.S.-made F-16 combat jets in action over Ukraine.
A still image from a Ukrainian air force video shows U.S.-made F-16 combat jets in action over Ukraine.
Newsweek/Ukrainian Air Force
What To Know

“Ukrainian pilots operating Western fighter jets have demonstrated excellent results in combat missions against air and ground targets,” the Ukrainian air force said.

The interview released by the air force Wednesday also features clips of F-16s in action, including what appeared to be strikes on ground targets.

To conduct ground strikes, Ukraine’s F-16s are equipped with “high-precision aerial bombs, including SDBs and JDAM-ER glide bombs,” the air force said.

“If we want, our bomb can fly into someone’s window,” the F-16 pilot, whose name was withheld for security reasons, said in the interview.

He revealed that he and other pilots carry out multiple strike missions daily on Russian soil, and in Ukraine’s occupied regions. More than 80 percent of the missiles F-16 pilots launch hit their intended target, he said.

Zelensky announced last week that new batches of F-16s had arrived in Ukraine but did not disclose how many of the aircraft had been delivered. He also rejected Moscow’s claims that Russia’s military had downed an F-16.

What People Are Saying

The Ukrainian F-16 pilot said: “Almost every missile hits its target…More than 80 percent of the missiles we launch reach their targets, destroying both Shahed drones and cruise missiles launched from sea, air and land.

“We know our targets in advance—our intelligence is working quite well, despite media claims that we do not receive intelligence data…One could say our intelligence forces adapt very quickly, and we receive up-to-date information.

“At present, we can only strike at tactical depth, but the effectiveness of these strikes is very high: if we want, our bomb can fly into someone’s window.”