The new tactics implemented by the Ukrainian Air Force with its F-16 fighters

Ukraine is about to complete two years of operating its first Western-made fighter jet, the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

An F-16 fighter jet defeated the larger and more modern Russian Su-35S with a little Swedish help
The Ukrainian Air Force shows off its F-16 fighters, revealing some details

The Ukrainian Air Force has received dozens of F-16s donated by the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Greece, and Norway. These are F-16A (single-seat) and F-16B (two-seat) fighter jets, many of which had been retired from service and replaced in those countries with the more modern F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters. Ukrainian pilots are very pleased with the F-16, a much more advanced aircraft (despite its years of service) than the Soviet- and Russian-made fighters previously operated by Ukraine.

Ukrainian F-16 pilots had to undergo emergency training to adapt to this aircraft. That training included tactics typically used by Western pilots of these fighter jets. However, the Ukrainian Air Force has been forced to revise some of those tactics due to the unique circumstances of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force indicated this yesterday in a video posted on its YouTube channel:

The video description states that "the F-16 has become not only a new type of equipment, but a strategic tool for the protection of our cities and critical infrastructure". Today, the Ukrainian website specializing in defense issues Militarnyi.com explained the Ukrainian milestones with this plane:

"By November 2025, Ukrainian F-16 fighter jets had intercepted more than 1,300 Russian missiles and drones during their service. At the same time, there is a known instance where a Ukrainian F-16 was the first in the world to shoot down six Russian cruise missiles in a single combat mission, two of them equipped with a cannon. Furthermore, by November, Ukrainian F-16 fighter jets have struck more than 300 ground targets, including "hundreds of units" of enemy equipment, command posts, drone control points, ammunition depots, and enemy logistics facilities."

Militarnyi.com presents the testimony of the Ukrainian pilot seen in the video, explaining the new tactics they have introduced with these aircraft, to adapt what they have learned to the reality of this war:

"Upon returning home from training, we were confronted with reality: the tactics we were taught abroad are not entirely suitable for the war we are fighting. Because these tactics are based on wars in which our partners have previously participated. And this war is fundamentally different from those wars. (...) We had to sit down and think about practical tactics: how we would destroy cruise missiles, how we would attack drones, how we would fight the enemy near the line of combat contact."

The Ukrainian pilot points out that the main threat to the F-16s comes from the Russian Su-35, Su-57, and MiG-31 fighter jets. The first two are more modern than the American fighter, and the third, although from the same era as the F-16, is much faster: it can reach a speed of Mach 2.83 (about 3,000 km/h).

The Ukrainian pilot in yesterday's video points out that almost no sortie to the front line with his fighters is complete without enemy missiles being launched at them, usually air-to-air missiles, and adds this about his rivals:

"They have the capability to remain in the service area, waiting for our groups to attack at high altitude. Unfortunately, we do not have this capability. Therefore, we have to fly at lower altitudes to reduce the threat from anti-aircraft missile systems."

Militarnyi.com notes that "Ukrainian pilots have to use low-altitude maneuvering tactics: it is more difficult for enemy radars and missile warheads to capture and maintain a target against the ground background, which creates a significant amount of background noise and blocks direct radar visibility." Furthermore, a major deficiency of Ukraine's defenders must be considered: the Ukrainian Air Force lacks early warning and air-to-air refueling aircraft capable of supporting F-16s on their missions, so Ukrainian fighters cannot conduct patrols as long as Russian fighters.

Furthermore, the Ukrainian pilot explains the tactics he employs when escorting attack aircraft on front-line missions to distract the Russian fighters waiting for them: "We work in groups of three and force the enemy to launch two missiles from different directions. As a result, we manage to have our attack aircraft destroy the target and the entire group return safely to the airfield, to our families and our squadron."

In addition to the F-16, Ukraine has received an unknown number of French Mirage 2000 fighter jets (above, you can see a video published by the Ukrainian Air Force about this aircraft in mid-November). It is an excellent aircraft with very good performance.

Thanks to these aircraft, Russian attacks with cruise missiles and drones against civilian targets are becoming increasingly ineffective, as Ukrainian air defenses manage to shoot down the vast majority of projectiles, whether using ground-based anti-aircraft systems or fighter jets like the F-16 and the Mirage 2000, whose pilots are performing truly heroic feats to defend the lives of their compatriots. My applause for those Ukrainian pilots.

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Images: Ukrainian Air Force.