On 7 June 2025, a Ukrainian Air Force F-16 shot down a Russian Su-35 after executing a strategic attack on the fighter jet. This victory of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine occurred in the airspace over Russia’s Kursk region.

A video of the Su-35 jet on fire was shared on Telegram, after the UNITED24 Media had published it on X. According to available details, the F-16 utilised a radar link from one of the UAF’s two SAAB 340 AEW&C aircraft, which tracked the Su-35. The F-16 then fired an AIM-120 air-to-air missile, which struck the Su-35 in flight. Reports point out that no one died. The pilot of the Su-35 ejected after the missile hit.

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The first set of F-16 fighter jets made their way to Ukraine in August 2024 from various NATO member states. These jets have been flown in missions ranging from air defence against missiles and UAVs to ground attack and now to air-to-air combat.

The importance of data-linked air systems

Ukraine’s F-16s recently gained a combat ability when its NATO partners decided to upgrade them to NATO-standard Link 16 datalinks. This upgrade allows the pilot to share data with other F-16s as well as early warning aircraft such as the SAAB 340 AEW&C. This marks the first reported use of Ukraine’s F-16s with the SAAB.

The shootdown follows a similar event in the conflict between India and Pakistan. The PAF used a SAAB 340 AEW&C to locate a Dassault Rafale flown by the IAF. It then sent the data to a PAF fighter, which shot down the Rafale without activating its own radar. The Pakistani fighter, a Chinese-built J-10C, downed the French-build aircraft with a long-range PL-15E missile. That event marked the debut of the J-10C in combat.