⚡️ Ukrainian pilot breaks world record by shooting down 6 Russian missiles in one combat mission using a F-16 fighter jet.

This happened during a massive enemy attack on December 13, 2024: "According to the results of objective control, we have one hundred percent confirmation of the fact that for the first time in history, in an anti-air battle, an American F-16 fighter jet shoots down six cruise missiles, two of them with an aircraft cannon. And a Ukrainian does it," - Yuriy Ignat, head of the public relations service of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The only weapon left on his F-16 after shooting down 4 cruise missiles was a rapid-fire aircraft cannon! The pilot began to approach the target…

— I understood that there were few chances of hitting a missile flying at a speed of 650 km/h+, — says the pilot, — first you need to find it in the sky, level it out in height and, from a distance of no more than 500 meters, fire ahead of it. And flying close is extremely dangerous — in the event of a 450 kg warhead detonation, there is a great risk for the plane, at the very least, to fly into a cloud of debris.
The pilot understood this, he knew how dangerous it was, how he was risking his life, and how to act correctly in this situation, because not so long ago he had undergone training on the F-16 in the United States of America.

But there is one “but” — the pilots in the US learned to shoot down air targets with an aircraft cannon exclusively in simulators. In real flight conditions, the Ukrainian F-16 pilots had never used the cannon against missiles. And here he used it, and how he used it…

— At first I looked for the target below — nothing. Then I gained altitude, raised the radar and saw it. I did everything as the instructors in the USA taught me, as I practiced on the simulator. A few rounds from the gun — and an explosion… then another one! Repeated detonation… I thought, — but, as it turned out according to the results of objective control — there were two missiles! They flew in a pair, next to each other. The enemy often launches them in such a tactical configuration, a whole group of enemy missiles can fly close to each other, so that they are seen as one target. Well, actually, that day I probably set a record. However, the main thing is the result! I am glad that I succeeded, I dedicate this success to all my comrades who went on an eternal flight, waiting for the F-16 in the Ukrainian sky.