Ukrainian F-16 Shot Down A Russian Su-35 Thanks To The Help Of A Swedish Plane

• 9.06.2025, 16:29

For the first time in history.

Ukraine has won a historic victory in the air: for the first time in history, a Western F-16 shot down a Russian Su-35S fighter.

The battle took place over northeastern Ukraine: as part of its defense of the Sumy region, the Ukrainian Air Force used warplanes to bomb Russian positions inside the country and in the neighboring Kursk region.

In response, the Russian Armed Forces sent its high-tech Su-35 fighter into the battle to shoot down the Ukrainian planes.

But the pilot did not know he was being ambushed: along with the American F-16, a Swedish Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft took to the air, which spotted the Su-35 200-300 kilometers before the border and transmitted the coordinates of the F-16, according to the informed German publication Bild.

A US fighter jet launched an AIM-120 missile and the Su-35 was shot down 16 kilometers from the border in Russian territory - near the town of Korenevo in the Kursk region. The pilot ejected. The Ukrainian fighters returned to base without loss.

On Platform X, Canadian pilot and aviation expert Mark Brooks praised the coordination of Western weapons systems:

"It's not just the F-16 - the real gamechanger was the Swedish AWACS system, which recognizes Russian aircraft hundreds of kilometers away and directs F-16 missiles in real time. The Su-35 didn't even know it was under attack."

The Air Power Aviation Channel also noted on X the historical significance of this clash between Western and Russian equipment:

"If the information is confirmed, this will be the first air battle involving a Ukrainian Viper (F-16). More importantly, the Russian Flanker was shot down by a Dutch modification of the F-16AM, a model that many already considered obsolete." Now the main NATO countries are already armed with the next generation of aircraft, the F-35.