Ukraine's F-16 fighter obliterated before it struck Zaporizhzhia region

The Russian Armed Forces shot down an American fourth-generation F-16 fighter jet that Ukraine had received from Western countries.

Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USAF_F-16_Fighting_Falcon_take_off_at_Joint_Base_Balad_Apr_2008.jpg by Senior Airman Julianne Showalter

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According to Vladimir Rogov, Chairman of the Russian Public Chamber Commission on Sovereignty Issues, the F-16 fighter aircraft was preparing to launch a missile strike on the Zaporizhzhia region, but was obliterated.

"The F-16 aircraft was in its initial position to launch a missile strike on the region, but it was shot down," Rogov said.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not released an official comment yet.

A few days earlier, retired colonel and military expert Anatoly Matviychuk said that the Russian military may have destroyed another Ukrainian F-16 during a massive strike on Ukraine that took place on December 20.

Earlier in December, it was reported hat Ukraine could use F-16 fighters in an attempt to attack a Russian region.

In July of this year, Russian company FORES announced a reward of 15 million rubles for shooting down an F-16. Deputy Executive Director of the company Ilya Potanin said that the military would also be rewarded for shooting down other US-made fighter jets.

Details

The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft with over 4,600 built since 1976. Although no longer purchased by the U.S. Air Force, improved versions are being built for export. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta. The F-16's key features include a frameless bubble canopy for enhanced cockpit visibility, a side-mounted control stick to ease control while maneuvering, an ejection seat reclined 30 degrees from vertical to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot, and the first use of a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire flight control system that helps to make it an agile aircraft. The fighter has a single turbofan engine, an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 hardpoints. Although officially named "Fighting Falcon", the aircraft is commonly known by the nickname "Viper".