Recently, we reported that the Ukrainian Air Force shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet in the Kursk direction. According to Ukrainian military sources, the aircraft was downed in the morning during a successful operation. The incident took place over Russian territory, likely in the Korenevsky district of the Kursk region. A video has circulated online showing the Russian fighter burning on the ground.
However, the story later gained an interesting development. The destruction of the Su-35 is a significant achievement on its own, as this 4++ generation fighter is considered one of the most advanced in the Russian Air Force and is valued at around \$98–104 million. For the first time in history, this aircraft was reportedly shot down by an F-16, which Ukraine received from Western partners. This detail was reported by the publication Bild.
According to Bild, Ukraine has been using F-16 fighters to defend the Sumy region and to carry out bombing raids against Russian positions both inside Russia and in the Kursk area. In response, Russian forces launched a Su-35 fighter into the air. However, the Russian pilot fell into a trap, as alongside the American F-16, a Swedish Saab 340 AEW\&C early warning and control aircraft was also deployed.
This aircraft detected the Russian Su-35 from as far as 200 kilometers away from the border and relayed its coordinates to the F-16 pilot. (You can learn more about the capabilities of this aircraft via this link.)
Thanks to this, the F-16 fired an AIM-120 missile and successfully shot down the Su-35 fighter at a distance of about 16 kilometers from the Russian border, near the Korenevsky district in the Kursk region. The Russian pilot ejected safely, and the Ukrainian fighters returned to base without any losses.
“It’s not just about the F-16 — the Swedish AWACS system played a key role by detecting Russian aircraft from hundreds of kilometers away and guiding the F-16’s missiles in real time,” wrote Canadian pilot and aviation expert Mark Brooks on his Twitter page. “The Su-35 didn’t even know it was under attack.”
Ukraine received a Saab ASC 890 (Saab 340 AEW\&C) early warning and control aircraft from Sweden as part of a military aid package. When making this decision, the Swedish government stated that this type of aircraft is intended to assist Ukraine in strengthening its air defense capabilities.
Source: bild
