Ukrainian F-16, Guided by Saab AWACS, Shot Down Russian Su-35 over Kursk: Reports

A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet on June 7, German media, Bild reported that this was Ukraine’s first aerial victory with an F-16.

The incident took place near the Kursk region on the Russian side of the border. Russia sent a Su-35 fighter jet to intercept the Ukrainian Air Force's cross-border threat operation. However, the Su-35 was shot down by Ukrainian forces.

Saab 340 early warning system detected the Su-35 from hundreds of miles away

According to the information in Bild,  the Swedish-made Saab 340 AEW&C airborne early warning and control system reportedly detected the Su-35 from a distance of approximately 200 to 300 kilometers and instantly transmitted its location information to the F-16 pilot.

 Hit by AIM-120 missile

The F-16 was reportedly a Dutch F-16AM model. The pilot targeted the Su-35 with an AIM-120 air-to-air missile, and the missile hit the plane near the town of Korenevo in the Kursk region. The Russian pilot ejected from the plane using the ejection seat, and the Ukrainian planes returned to their bases without any casualties.

 “Su-35 could not even understand that it was targeted”

Canadian pilot and aviation expert Marc Brooks made the following statement in his post on the social media platform:

 “The issue here is not just an F-16; the real issue is that the Swedish-made AWACS system can now detect Russian aircraft in real time from hundreds of kilometers away and guide missiles fired by the F-16. The Su-35 didn’t even realize it was being targeted.”

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that it shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet over Russia’s Kursk Oblast on the morning of June 7.

The Su-35, one of Russia’s multirole fighter aircraft, was reportedly downed during ongoing cross-border military activity. While no operational details were disclosed, Ukraine’s General Staff said this latest loss brings the total number of Russian aircraft destroyed since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 to 414.

Kursk Oblast, which lies along the northeastern Ukrainian border, has remained a key zone of conflict since Ukraine’s cross-border incursion in August 2024. That operation marked the first major foreign military penetration into Russian territory since World War II.

Russia has since attempted to retake control of the area. Reinforced by North Korean troops, Moscow launched a large-scale counteroffensive in March 2025, which pushed Ukrainian forces out of most of the previously captured territory, including the town of Sudzha.

The downing of the Su-35 follows a series of recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian aircraft. On June 1, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) launched Operation Spiderweb, a coordinated drone campaign targeting Russian airfields deep inside Russian territory. Kyiv claims the attack inflicted $7 billion in damage, disabling over a third of Russia’s strategic bomber fleet.

According to open-source intelligence groups, at least 21 Russian planes were damaged or destroyed in that operation. The SBU said it deployed 117 drones, launched from hidden trucks, which struck air bases in at least four Russian regions. The targeted facilities reportedly included bombers such as the Tu-95 and Tu-22M3, which have been used to launch cruise missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.