A Ukrainian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon has successfully shot down a Russian Su-35 Flanker-E in air-to-air combat, marking a historic first in the war. The milestone was publicly confirmed in late July 2026 by General Dan Caine, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a Senate hearing. Caine stated, “I want to highlight the incredible work the Ukraine industrial base is doing as they scale their own capabilities. It ranges from their surface-to-air capabilities to air-to-air capabilities. I’ll note that recently we had the first air-to-air kill [where a] Ukrainian F-16 shot down a Russian fighter.” Viewers may note that loss of Su-35 on 8 July has been accepted by Russian commentators and it is most likely General Dan Caine was referring to that only. This development is particularly noteworthy. The F-16s supplied to Ukraine by the Netherlands and Denmark are relatively old

Source: How U.S. made old F – 16 managed to down Russian Su – 35 in Ukraine ? 3 possibilities