Ukraine’s Air Force released what they billed as the first-ever interview with a Ukrainian F-16 pilot on Wednesday.
The unnamed pilot praised the Western-provided aircraft, noting that, contrary to reports, pilots such as himself have experienced no problems receiving real-time intelligence data. However, he lamented that they still cannot get close enough to their number-one target: Russian air-launched guided munitions.
The pilot explained that F-16 pilots fly multiple ground attack missions each day over Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine. They also conduct offensive counter-air (OCA) missions protecting their colleagues operating MiG-29, Su-27, Su-24, and Su-25 aircraft.
“Almost every missile hits its target,” the pilot said in the state-conducted interview. “More than 80 percent of the missiles we launch hit their targets, destroying both Shahed drones and cruise missiles launched from sea, air, and land.
“We know our targets in advance – our intel is working quite well, despite media claims that we do not receive intelligence data... You could say our intel forces adapt very quickly, and we receive up-to-date information.”
Ukraine received its first batch of F-16s from Denmark and the Netherlands in July 2024 and an undetermined number of Mirage 2000-5F fighters from France in February 2025.
These aircraft, the first batches of the 80 pledged by the NATO “fighter coalition,” represent a significant upgrade to Ukraine’s aging MiG-29 and Su-27 Soviet-era fighters.
Zelensky added at a March 19 conference that Ukraine had recently received more F-16 fighter aircraft, but declined to elaborate on how many or which country sent them. The conference came shortly after Zelensky received a promise from US President Donald Trump that he would help Ukraine find more Patriot air defense batteries.
Still, the pilot admitted in the interview, the F-16s cannot get close enough to destroy Kremlin bombers employing guided aerial munitions from inside Russian airspace.
“Our main focus right now is on Russian use of guided aerial bombs. Not all [zones] are fully covered, but we do our best to complete missions in these areas. We understand that we cannot get close enough to destroy the carriers of these bombs, but a complex effort is underway.
“This includes electronic warfare measures to disrupt the operation of these bombs, optimizing the electronic warfare environment, and enhancing the detection field for both the [delivery platforms] and the guided bombs themselves.
“We are fully aware that the current number of Western-made air defense systems is insufficient, which is why the issue of increasing their supply has been raised multiple times.
“In my opinion, some fronts are suffering from this shortage simply because it is physically impossible to set up this process [but] our defense forces are doing incredibly hard work there, constantly countering both the carriers and the weapons themselves.”