A Ukrainian pilot has been lauded as a hero after shooting down six cruise missiles launched by Vladimir Putin towards Ukraine.
The feat, which happened during an attack in mid-December, is a record for a Ukrainian pilot in one sortie, according to the Ukrainian Air Force Command.
Colonel Yuriy Ihnat, chief spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Command, described the attack in a press conference.
He said: “Let me remind you what happened in the skies over Ukraine on the morning of December 13, 2024.
“A massive air attack by the occupiers, almost 200 enemy drones in the sky, Kinzhals [Dagger hypersonic missiles], ballistics, and 94 air, sea and land-based cruise missiles.”
The pilot, who was flying a US F-16 fighter jet, was given orders to find and destroy the deadly missiles which have been used throughout the war to target critical national infrastructure and civilians.
The jets were provided by the US last August and work with Western-supplied surface-to-air missile systems such as Patriot and Nasams to protect the skies above Ukraine.
In a statement, the unnamed pilot described how he achieved the remarkable feat, which saw him use all four of his air to air missiles before improvising and using his cannon to destroy a further two.
He said: “Shooting down cruise missiles with cannon is very risky due to the high speed of the target and the risk of detonation.”
The pilot described how his training in the US provided him with the ability to execute the manoeuvre which takes a significant amount of skill to perform successfully.
He added: “I acted as the instructors in the USA taught me, and I managed to hit.
“I understood that the chances of hitting a missile flying at 650 km-plus [400mph-plus] were slim.
“First, you need to find it in the sky, level off in altitude, and, from a distance of no more than 500 meters [1,640ft], fire ahead.”
The spokesperson highlighted the achievement of the pilot to demonstrate the benefits to European security that will come once Ukraine receives F-16 jets of its own.
Ihnat said: “Just imagine what a formidable deterrent force in the centre of Europe the war-hardened Ukrainian pilots will be when, say, the F-35s enter service with the [Ukrainian] Air Force.”
