The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine told U.S. lawmakers that a Ukrainian F-16 shot down a Russian fighter in early July.
A Ukrainian Air Force (UkrAF) F-16 shot down a Russian jet in the first-of-its-kind action by the U.S.-made jet since its arrival in Ukraine, according to the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine. The information was disclosed in testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
While Caine did not identify the model of the Russian jet, the shoot down is being tied to a claim by the UKrAF on Jul. 8, 2026, which mentioned the downing a Su-35S in the “eastern sector.” Moreover, on the same date, Russia’s Kremlin-aligned Telegram channel ‘Fighter-Bomber’ confirmed the engagement and appeared to confirm the loss of the Su-35S, while suggesting the pilot was safely rescued.
Fighter-Bomber has ties to many Russian Aerospace Forces (RuAF) frontline units, distributing everyday crowdfunded supplies and accessories. While being a hardline handle supportive of the Russian government, it has periodically reported Russian losses throughout the war, and has also criticized Russian MoD planning and procurement policy in the past.
Subsequent footage, filmed by a Ukrainian tactical battlefield surveillance drone, showed the debris of the Su-35S. The aircraft crashed upright, with the outline of the airframe clearly identifiable.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) July 21, 2026
Fighter-Bomber also mentioned the tactical scenario surrounding the engagement, claiming the involvement of a number of “enemy aircraft” and a Patriot surface-to-air missile battery. It must be noted that the Su-35S is a leading RuAF asset conducting swing-role missions with SEAD/DEAD (Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defense) loadouts using the Kh-31P Anti-Radiation Missile (ARM) as its primary radar-killer weapon.
It is unclear if the Ukrainian F-16s and the Patriot battery acted in concert, baiting and destroying the Su-35S. No details of the engagement, including the weapon used, have yet been revealed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, except for the Jul. 8 update – presumably for Operational Security Reasons (OPSEC) reasons.
🇺🇦🇷🇺
Tutuuuuute les rageux !
Confirmation visuelle, le Su-35 🇷🇺 a bien été abattu, les 🇺🇦 ont pu vérifier le kill grâce à un drone envoyé sur place
Un F-16 🇺🇦 l’aurait abattu grâce notamment aux données radar d’une batterie Patriot et à l’aide d’un AIM-120C-8
Good Kill 😎 https://t.co/TT7xxcwJih pic.twitter.com/1LACc3CIfc
— Le Mot de Cambronne (@LemotCambronne) July 9, 2026
Gen. Dan Caine’s testimony and Fighter-Bomber’s post
Caine made the revelation during a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee about a nearly $1 trillion supplemental budget request for FY2026 from the Department of War. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was also present before the lawmakers.
Caine was responding to a question by Sen. Dick Durbin, who asked him whether he acknowledges President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request to “help him with air defenses as a high priority at this point.”
Durbin also asked Caine’s opinion on the impact on the Ukrainian military preparedness if the administration is held back for three years from spending President Donald Trump’s supplemental $400 billion funding for Ukraine, including money for air defenses.
Caine replied: “Sir, 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. So I think their ability to scale their layered defense has come a long way over the past couple of years with the help and assistance of many.”
Caine did not elaborate on the details. However, the Jul. 8 post by Fighter-Bomber shares a lot of insight.
“Yes, the battle was interesting and engaging. 3 enemy aircraft + a ‘Patriot’ system against one of ours. Unfortunately, we acted in a predictable manner, while they did not. Moreover, our fighter jet was hesitant to engage two F-16s on its own. Everyone is alive and well. ‘KANATOVO’ will face consequences,” wrote the Russian channel.
🇺🇸🇺🇦🇷🇺 Hopefully we learn more about this kill in the near future.
I’ve said in the past that it would likely take a series of pilot errors for a Russian jet to get downed by one of Ukraine’s F-16s. They remain heavily disadvantaged due to their inferior radar. https://t.co/xLSL8uykr5 pic.twitter.com/vHX2HPopTH
— Colby Badhwar (@ColbyBadhwar) July 21, 2026
Since the post only explicitly identified only two F-16s, the identity of the third aircraft is unknown. The aircraft could have been either a third F-16 or a MiG-29 or Su-27, the other non-Western jets Ukraine would use for air-to-air engagements.
