On April 12, local time, Ukrainian media reported that a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet was shot down by the Russian army. What kind of missile shot down the F-16? What is the true value of the F-16 to Ukraine?

Ukrainian military US-made F-16

Suspectedly shot down by Russian S-400 or R-37 missiles

On April 12, the Ukrainian Air Force issued a statement on a social platform saying that 26-year-old Pavlo Ivanov was killed while flying a US-made F-16 fighter jet on the same day.

A source told the BBC that Ivanov's plane was likely shot down by a Russian missile. "The Russian army fired three missiles at the aircraft, either the S-400 air defense missile or the R-37 air-to-air missile."

Not long before the F-16 was shot down, the Ukrainian Air Force released an interview with an F-16 pilot. The pilot said that in addition to conducting multiple ground attack operations every day, these F-16 fighters also perform offensive air defense missions. These high-frequency missions mean that the F-16's chances of being exposed to Russian advanced fighter jets and air defense systems have increased significantly.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said on the 13th that the Russian army shot down a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet.

Russian media such as Russian newspapers quoted Russian pilot Alexei Voyevoda as saying that the F-16 fighter was shot down by Russian S-400 air defense missiles over Sumei Prefecture, Ukraine. According to witnesses, the F-16 successfully dodged two missiles but was shot down by a third missile.

Military commentator Wei Dongxu analyzed that: "The one who shot down this F-16 may be the more advanced fighter jets of the Russian Aerospace Forces, such as the Su-35 and Su-30SM; or Russia's air defense combat system, that is, advanced air defense missiles."

"There is another possibility, that is, the Russian Aerospace Forces fighter jets and the S-400 air defense combat system jointly hunt and intercept each other, and it is possible to use the 'A-fire B-guidance' method."

"A-shooting B-guild"

What kind of combat style can be achieved?

"A-launched B-guidance" is commonly said to mean "A-launched missiles and B-launched guidance." If the "A-fire B-guidance" method is available, the range of various weapons and equipment will increase and the power of the strike will increase.

Military expert Du Wenlong introduced: "Western countries call "A-fire B-guild" weapons and equipment to be controlled by third parties, which means that when I launch a missile, it is not necessarily the target that I am guided to hit. If I attack with air-to-air missiles, after the missile is launched, in order to prevent the aircraft from being exposed, early warning aircraft, including other aircraft, can continuously guide the missiles, and guide the missiles to the relevant areas through the third party, and then hit the target."

The "myth" of American weapons has been destroyed one after another

What is the true value of the F-16 to Ukraine?

As one of the American "artifacts" that Ukraine is looking forward to, the F-16 has been boasted by many Western media as the key to changing the situation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In August 2024, Ukraine officially announced that it had received its first F-16 fighter jet with Western aid. But just that month, an F-16 "crashed" and the pilot died.

Some Ukrainian MPs revealed that this tragedy may be a problem with internal coordination between the Ukrainian army, and the Ukrainian air defense missile forces mistakenly shot down the F-16 fighter jets of their own air force.

Since late March this year, the Russian military has deployed long-range S-400 air defense systems on the front line have become increasingly active. They can attack targets 350 kilometers away, posing a major threat to the F-16. There are also signs that Russia is redeploying advanced fighter jets such as the Su-35 to deal with Ukraine's F-16.

The real value of the F-16 to Ukraine today does not lie in its actual attack capabilities, but represents the West's "decision" to continue to assist Ukraine in fighting Russia.

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