A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet has shot down a Russian combat aircraft in air-to-air combat for the first time. Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine made the statement during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in Washington.
During the hearing, senior US senator and Democratic Party member Richard Durbin asked Caine how Ukraine could be affected by a possible three-year suspension of funding for air defence.
In response, the US general highlighted the development of Ukraine’s defence capabilities and the expansion of its domestic production capacity.
“The incredible work that the Ukrainian industrial base is doing is scaling its own capabilities. That ranges from their surface-to-air capabilities to their air-to-air capabilities,” Caine said.
According to the general, a recent aerial engagement ended with a Ukrainian F-16 destroying a Russian fighter jet.
“We recently witnessed the first air-to-air engagement in which a Ukrainian F-16 shot down a Russian fighter,” he said.
Caine also noted that Ukraine had significantly strengthened its layered defence system over the past several years with support from international partners.
He stressed that Ukraine’s ability to expand its multilayered defence had advanced considerably thanks to assistance from many countries.
