For the first time, two F-16s have shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet in the Kursk region

On June 7, the Ukrainian military shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet for the first time in history with the help of Western F-16 aircraft during an air force operation in the Kursk direction, Bild reported, quoted by Focus.

Ukrainian forces have used F-16 fighters to strike Russian targets both on Ukrainian territory and in the border zone of the Kursk region. In response, Russia launched a Su-35 fighter jet into the battlefield, but the Russian plane was ambushed by two F-16s and destroyed.

"The Russian pilot did not realize that he was flying into an ambush“, the publication notes.

During the operation, Ukraine used not only F-16 fighters with guided bombs and missiles, but also Swedish Saab 340AEW Erieye reconnaissance aircraft. According to the publication, this helped Ukrainian forces more effectively identify targets and coordinate their actions in the air.

The AWACS reconnaissance aircraft recorded the approach of the Russian fighter approximately 200-300 km from the Ukrainian border. As the plane approached, the Swedish Saab transmitted the coordinates of the target to the F-16. Thanks to this data, the Ukrainian fighter jet fired an AIM-120 missile, which is capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 50 km.

The Russian fighter jet crashed approximately 16 km from the Ukrainian border, near the town of Korenevo in the Kursk region. According to Russian media, the pilot managed to eject. The two Ukrainian fighters involved in the operation returned to base without losses.

Background:

On June 7, the Ukrainian Air Force announced that it had destroyed a Russian Su-35 fighter jet. The plane was shot down as a result of a successful air force operation in the Kursk region. At the time, the military did not specify whether the crew of the Russian fighter jet survived.

The last time a Russian Su-35 was shot down by the Ukrainian Air Force was recorded in 2024.

The Su-35 is a Soviet fourth-generation multi-role fighter. It is used by Russia to bomb Ukrainian territory, in particular with Kh-59M and Kh-31 missiles, as well as FAB and KAB bombs. It has a combat load of 8,000 kilograms.