Breaking! A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet has been shot down by Russian forces!
On April 12th local time, the Ukrainian Air Force released a statement saying that on that day, 26-year-old Ukrainian Air Force pilot Pavlo Ivanov died while executing combat missions in an F-16 fighter jet. According to Russian sources, a Russian military unit shot down an F-16 fighter jet on the same day.
This is the first time since Western countries provided F-16 fighters to Ukraine that both sides have confirmed the shooting down of an F-16 fighter jet. Although the number of advanced fighter jets in the Russian Air Force is not as large as NATO's, the performance of Russian Air Force fighters does not fall short of NATO fighters, and there is no technological gap between them. Russia's Su-35 and Su-30 fighters can all shoot down F-16 fighters. Additionally, Russia has long emphasized the construction of air defense systems for various branches of its military since the Soviet era. The Russian Army has specialized air defense missile units, which are systematically deployed among various combat units. Russia's S400 and S500 air defense missile systems can also shoot down F-16 fighters, and they can even shoot down America's F-35 stealth fighters. Previously, Russia announced that those who shot down the first F-16 fighter would receive significant rewards, and this time it can finally be fulfilled.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829212810681344/
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