F-16 pilot explains how Ukrainian forces counter Russian guided bombs and their carriers

F-16 fighter jets provided to Ukraine by its partners cannot get close enough to destroy carriers of Russian guided aerial bombs. However, the defence forces are working on a comprehensive approach to counter these weapons.

Source: an F-16 pilot in an interview to the Air Force Command

Quote: "Our main focus right now is on Russian use of guided aerial bombs. Not all directions are fully covered, but we do our best to complete missions in these areas. We understand that we cannot get close enough to destroy the carriers of these bombs, but a complex effort is underway. This includes electronic warfare measures to disrupt the operation of these bombs, optimising the electronic warfare environment and enhancing the detection field for both the carriers and the guided bombs themselves.

We are fully aware that the current number of Western-made air defence systems is insufficient, which is why the issue of increasing their supply has been raised multiple times.

At the moment, in my opinion, some fronts are suffering from this shortage simply because it is physically impossible to set up this process.

Our defence forces are doing incredibly hard work there, constantly countering both the carriers and the weapons themselves."

Background:

• Colonel Yurii Ihnat, Head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, said that the F-16 fighter jets provided to Ukraine cannot fully compete with Russia’s Su-35s in aerial combat.
• On 6 February, Ukrainian air defence units intercepted a Russian guided aerial bomb over the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia. The Air Force pointed out that this was not the first instance of Ukrainian forces successfully shooting down such a weapon.
• In an interview released by the Air Force, Viking, a pilot of a Ukrainian Su-27 aircraft, explained that there is no "magic wand" to counter Russian guided aerial bombs, which Russia uses 10 times more than Ukraine. The pilot emphasised the need for a comprehensive approach to tackling these weapons: air defence systems, radars, fighter jets and missiles capable of hitting targets at a range of at least 100 km are needed.
• Ihnat previously reported that Russia dropped almost 40,000 guided bombs on Ukrainian territory in 2024 alone.

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