The statement notes that Ukraine does not officially report the downing of Russian crewed aircraft. It also confirms that F-16AM/BM crews have conducted more than 300 attacks on ground targets, which have included vehicles, command centres, depots and other elements of the Russian Armed Forces’ logistics system.
Declared operational losses amount to four aircraft and three pilots. The current fleet size has not been disclosed.
Ukraine operates F-16AM/BM aircraft supplied by European partners including the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and Denmark, providing around 60 airframes. The United States has delivered an undisclosed number of aircraft for use as a source of spare parts and as decoys intended to mislead Russian forces.
A small number of Dassault Mirage 2000-5F fighters donated by France complement the F-16 fleet. Recent weeks have also seen Ukraine sign letters of intent with Sweden and France that could lead to the purchase of up to 250 new multirole fighters, comprising 150 JAS-39E/F Gripens and 100 Dassault Rafale F4s.
