Ukrainian F-16 pilots running out of air-to-air missiles, resorting to cannons against Russian targets
Ukrainian F-16 pilots are facing an acute shortage of air-to-air missiles during some daytime combat sorties, forcing them to rely on the aircraft's built-in 20mm cannons to engage Russian aerial targets. The commander of Ukraine's 107th Air Wing, known by the callsign "Phantom," confirmed the shortage publicly, warning that "any aircraft without armament is useless," and called for increased deliveries of air-to-air and Patriot interceptor missiles, as well as efforts to boost or localize production.
Key points
- Ukrainian F-16 pilots are facing an acute shortage of air-to-air missiles and have used the aircraft's 20mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon to engage Russian air targets during some daytime sorties.
- The 107th Air Wing commander, callsign "Phantom," confirmed the missile shortage publicly, saying "any aircraft without armament is useless."
- F-16s primarily use AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles to intercept cruise missiles and other priority targets.
- Cannon fire against air targets is significantly more dangerous, especially against small or slow-moving targets and at night; a pilot was reported to have ejected after using the cannon to down a target in May 2025.
- AIM-120s used by F-16s are also the main munition for NASAMS systems protecting Kyiv and other key sites, so the shortfall affects ground-based air defense as well.
- Ukraine is publicly appealing to Western partners for additional air-to-air missiles, more Patriot interceptors, and efforts to increase or localize production.
Why it matters
The missile shortage cuts sharply into the combat value of Ukraine's F-16s against the Russian aerial threats — cruise missiles and drones — that pose the most direct danger to Ukrainian infrastructure and cities. Pilots who turn to the aircraft's 20mm cannon face a markedly higher risk; one pilot reportedly had to eject in May 2025 after engaging a target with the gun. Because AIM-120s are also the main munition for NASAMS air defense systems protecting Kyiv, the same supply squeeze degrades both the fighter force and ground-based air defense at once. The disclosures put the missile-supply problem in front of Ukraine's Western partners and frame it as a production as much as a stockpile problem.
What happened
The War Zone reported on 2 September, citing Newsmax journalist Shelby Wilder and a high-ranking Ukrainian Air Force commander, that Ukrainian F-16 pilots have at times gone into daytime combat sorties without air-to-air missiles and have had to engage Russian aerial targets using only the F-16's built-in 20mm M61A1 Vulcan six-barrel cannon. The commander of the 107th Air Wing, callsign "Phantom," confirmed the shortage and called the situation dire. He described one of the F-16's main tasks as protecting Ukrainian infrastructure from Russian drones, with cruise missiles as the priority targets normally engaged by AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range and AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range missiles. With missiles unavailable, pilots have fallen back on the cannon, an option that is significantly more difficult and dangerous, particularly against small or slow-moving targets and at night. According to the report, Ukraine monitors incoming missile shipments closely and "counts the hours and minutes until they arrive." Phantom urged more deliveries of air-to-air missiles and additional interceptors for ground-based Patriot systems, and called for production to be expanded or relocated to Ukraine or other European countries.
Background
The War Zone published the information on 2 September, citing Newsmax journalist Shelby Wilder and a high-ranking Ukrainian Air Force commander known as "Phantom," who is the commander of the 107th Air Wing. F-16s typically use AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles to intercept priority targets such as cruise missiles, with the M61A1 Vulcan cannon only as a fallback. Earlier in August the Financial Times reported that US President Donald Trump denied President Volodymyr Zelensky's request for several hundred Patriot interceptor missiles, citing limited US stockpiles due to Middle East needs. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas subsequently urged member states holding stored Patriots to transfer them to Ukraine. A figure described in the source material as British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would travel to the United States in September with other EU leaders to press Trump on access to American interceptor stocks before winter. On 25 August Zelensky announced that Ukraine had received a small batch of Patriot missiles, AIM missiles for NASAMS, and confirmation regarding several Crotale air defense systems and missiles for them.