Ukrainian F-16 pilots
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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.