A Ukrainian F-16 pilot set a record by shooting down six cruise missiles in a single flight.

A Ukrainian F-16 pilot set a historic record by shooting down six cruise missiles in a single combat sortie, despite the American fighter being able to carry only four missiles. This was reported by Yuri Ignat, head of the public relations service of the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, on his Facebook page.

"According to objective control results, we have 100% confirmation that for the first time in history, an American F-16 fighter shoots down six cruise missiles in an aerial battle, two of them using an aircraft cannon. And it is done by a Ukrainian!", he stated.

As noted by the colonel, the record was set on December 13 during a massive missile and drone attack. On that day, Russian forces launched 94 cruise missiles from air, sea, and ground platforms.

"The navigator leads me to enemy targets; there’s a group of eight cruise missiles ahead. I close in to the appropriate distance, see obstacles - which means the missiles have their own electronic warfare - so-called 'individual protection electronic warfare systems.' The targeting system on the F-16 is quite powerful; if the target is already in the crosshairs, it won't disappear from the onboard radar even under electronic warfare influence. I approached at a comfortable working distance, reacquired the targets, launched the missiles in succession, and hit - both targets were destroyed!", Yuri Ignat quoted the F-16 pilot.

The Ukrainian pilot went on the mission with four air-to-air missiles - two medium-range and two short-range.

Initially, the pilot used the longer-range missiles, shooting down several targets. Then he had to close in to two miles to engage the enemy with the short-range missiles. After following the control point's instructions, the pilot headed to the designated area, but encountered another target that was presumably moving towards Kyiv.

By that time, only the high-rate-of-fire aircraft cannon remained on the F-16. Ukrainian pilots had previously trained to use cannon armament against aerial targets solely on simulators. However, the pilot managed to successfully hit the target.

"I understood that the chances of hitting a missile traveling at over 650 km/h were slim. First, I had to locate it in the sky, align to the right altitude, and fire ahead from no more than 500 meters. Approaching closer is extremely dangerous; in the event of a detonation of a 450 kg warhead, there is a significant risk for the aircraft, at the very least of flying into a cloud of debris. Initially, I looked for the target below - nothing. Then I gained altitude, raised the radar, and spotted it... A few bursts from the cannon - and an explosion... then another! A secondary detonation... I thought, but as it turned out from the objective control results, there were two missiles! They were flying 'in a tier,' close to each other. The enemy often launches them in such a tactical configuration; a whole group of enemy missiles can fly close together so that the opponent sees them as a single target," the pilot recounted.

Yuri Ignat emphasized that this feat caused genuine astonishment even among American military specialists. After the successful completion of the mission, the hero was welcomed at the airfield with thunderous applause.

Recall that a massive attack of "Shahed" drones on Ukraine resulted in the air defense forces shooting down 28 strike UAVs. On the night of January 7, 2025, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with 38 drones. Thanks to the coordinated work of the air defense forces, it was possible to shoot down 28 drones across seven regions, avoiding hits and casualties.