Poland's "Defence 24": How the Ukrainian F-16 Was Shot Down and Who Is Being Accused

Poland's 'Defense 24': How the Ukrainian F-16 Was Shot Down, and Who Is Accused

Experts say Ukraine's air defense system still lacks an effective means to counter Russian "Geran" drones

Author: Konstantin Orshansky

The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost another American-made F-16 fighter jet, with Major Maxim Usytymenko killed in action. In an article for the professional media "Defense 24," Polish military commentator Wojciech Kozel revealed the details of this destruction operation.

"Defense 24" cited Ukrainian Air Force reports that Russia launched an attack consisting of 477 drones (including "Geran-2" and decoy drones) and 60 missiles during the night before. The attack came from multiple directions, aiming to disable Ukraine's air defense system. The launch locations included Kursk, Shatilov, Oryol, Bryansk, Millerovo, and the Chongar Cape in Crimea. Russia used "Kinzhal" and "Iskander-M" ballistic missiles, "Iskander-K" and "Kalibr" cruise missiles, as well as S-300 air defense missiles.

"Defense 24" pointed out that Poland also went on alert to prevent missiles or drones from accidentally entering Polish airspace during the Russian attack.

This F-16 was destroyed while intercepting the Russian joint attack. According to "Defense 24," the pilot shot down seven aerial targets, but when attacking the last target, the F-16 was hit and began to stall. Usytymenko flew the plane away from the nearest populated area, but failed to eject.

Although the specific reason for the destruction of the F-16 is not yet clear, the most likely scenario is that the Ukrainian pilot used the cannon to shoot down a "Geran" drone. The Ukrainian F-16 is equipped with six air-to-air missiles, and military analyst Wojciech Kozel emphasized that when pilots use cannons to fight low-speed targets like drones, the greatest risk they face is being hit by splinters.

Ukrainian aircraft now often face a problem of insufficient ammunition, making it difficult to deal with Russian joint attacks. Theoretically, the US APKWS laser-guided rocket can solve this problem - the F-16 can carry at least 28 APKWS rockets (7 per pylon, using dual pylons). However, it is currently unknown whether the Ukrainian F-16 has been modified with a dedicated sighting device to adapt to this weapon.

It is reported that the US had originally planned to deliver a large number of APKWS rockets to Ukraine, but in the end, they were redirected to the Middle East to intercept Iranian and Yemeni drones at the last moment.

Wojciech Kozel sharply pointed out: "It is ironic that Iran successfully 'linked' the US military forces - although it was a Ukrainian rather than an Israeli F-16 that was shot down."

Another Polish analyst, Maciej Ogrodowski, predicted in an article in the magazine "Polish Armed Forces" that the losses of Ukrainian F-16s may continue to increase.

Initially, Ukraine tried to use the F-16 to counter Russian cruise bombers, but it did not succeed.

During November and December 2024, the Russian Aerospace Forces dropped 130-140 glide bombs daily, with a drop range of 50-70 kilometers, far exceeding the range of Ukraine's air defense systems. If the F-16s are deployed near the front line, the Russian aircraft dropping bombs would have to enter their missile range. However, as military expert Ogrodowski analyzed, from the limited number of photos of the few Ukrainian F-16s available, they mainly perform the task of supporting ground forces.

Additionally, the air-to-air missiles on the F-16s are mainly used to intercept low-flying drones, and the pilots are reluctant to engage in aerial combat with Russian aircraft.

Ogrodowski wrote in "Polish Armed Forces": "The current situation of Ukraine's resource-poor state has been exposed - the Ukrainian Air Force has only about 20 F-16s. Hunting F-16s has become a priority for the Russians, and the first success was achieved on April 12. At that time, near Sumy (northern battlefield), the first F-16 of the Ukrainian forces was shot down, after which all F-16s were grounded for several days and only resumed combat missions after a long time."

Let's hope that after this loss of the F-16, Ukraine will keep the remaining planes in the airbase for a long time.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521590504698479146/

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