Illustrative image. (Ukrainian Air Force)
Ukraine’s fleet of F-16 fighter jets is running critically short of American-made air-to-air missiles, forcing pilots on some daytime missions to rely solely on their aircraft’s cannon against Russian drones and cruise missiles, according to a report published on September 2 by The War Zone (TWZ).
The news website, citing an account from Newsmax journalist Shelby Wilder, reported that Ukrainian Air Force personnel now track missile shipments as they cross the country’s border, monitoring their progress by the minute to determine whether the weapons will arrive in time for the next major Russian strike.
A senior Ukrainian Air Force commander who goes by the callsign “Phantom,” identified as commander of the country’s 107th Wing, confirmed the shortage when asked directly.
“Yes, that’s true. Any aircraft without weapons is … useless,” Phantom said, according to TWZ.
Ukraine’s F-16s are primarily armed with the radar-homing AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and the shorter-range heat-seeking AIM-9 Sidewinder, both used to intercept Russian cruise missiles and drones.
“We are focusing on defending our skies against Russian unmanned drones to protect our infrastructure inside the country,” Phantom said. “Our target priority is cruise missiles.”
Absent enough missiles, some pilots have turned to the F-16’s M61A1 Vulcan 20mm cannon to down aerial targets, a risky tactic.
Phantom called for additional Western support, including more air-to-air missiles and interceptors for Patriot air defense batteries.
“We require more means of protection, such as Patriot missiles and air-to-air missiles, AIM-9s or AIM-120s to our fleet,” he said.
The shortage reflects a broader strain on Ukraine’s air defense stockpiles, as Patriot interceptors and other munitions are consumed faster than they can be replaced — a squeeze compounded by demand from ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and rising global demand for advanced air defense weapons.
Interestingly, TWZ’s report came just days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had received an initial shipment of Patriot and AIM-type missiles.
This highlights the extremely high rate Ukraine is burning through anti-aircraft missiles to face ever-increasing Russian strikes.
Ukraine’s Western backers, including the United States, do not appear to be capable of keeping up with Ukraine’s never-ending demand. Aid to Kyiv has depleted much of their munitions stockpiles. This didn’t just come with a heavy financial cost for these countries, but also deteriorate their own defensive capabilities.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
qualquer pessoa não branca (especialmente africanos e asiáticos) seria espancada até à morte pelos supremacistas das seguintes organizações: ss aidar, ss kraken, wolfsangel (também conhecido por azov), waffen-ss nachtigall (que estavam em kursk a matar civis), leibstandarte adolf hitler (equipa de segurança zelenski), right sektor ukr – todos eles odeiam os asiáticos e todos eles lideram o governo ucraniano. todos eles são financiados pelos contribuintes da ue.
then add in the us munitions expenditures on iran. reporting of shortages in us hollywood media is likely under reported.
no shortage of mulatto jizz in my joo anuz
remember when russian idiots thought kiev would fall in 3 days?
heheheh