General Den Keyn, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced that Ukraine shot down a Russian military aircraft for the first time using an F-16 fighter jet.
Modern.az reports that the general spoke about this during hearings at the Senate Appropriations Committee.
"We recently witnessed a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet shoot down a Russian fighter in air combat for the first time. In recent years, thanks to the support of partners, Ukraine has significantly strengthened its multi-layered air defense system," said Den Keyn.
During his speech, the general, answering a question about the possible consequences of stopping the financing of Ukraine's air defense system, noted that Kyiv is doing an incredible job in developing its defense industry.
He added that Ukraine is increasing its capabilities in both "surface-to-air" and "air-to-air" weapon systems.
It should be recalled that the Ukrainian Air Force announced in July of this year that another Russian Su-35 multi-purpose fighter was shot down in the eastern direction. However, information about which weapon was used to destroy the aircraft was not provided.
Ukraine began using US-made F-16 fighter jets for the first time in the summer of 2024. According to Defense Express, the Ukrainian army currently has approximately 39 F-16s provided by the Netherlands and Denmark. Norway has pledged to provide 6 more, and Belgium up to 53 aircraft. If this plan is implemented, Ukraine could have 98 F-16 fighters in its arsenal by 2030.
