The missile shortage of Ukraine's F-16 fighter squadron is so serious that the country's air force is having to track each aid shipment.
In an interview with the US news site Newsmax on September 2, a senior commander of the Ukrainian air force revealed that this force is having to use limited ammunition reserves due to the lack of surface-to-air missiles. Ukrainian F-16 pilots can only do daytime missions and use 20mm cannons to shoot down Russian cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The Ukrainian Air Force Command must also closely monitor aid missile shipments "every minute" as they cross national borders. The biggest concern is always whether these weapons will arrive before Russia launches a large-scale raid campaign.
Ukrainian Air Force Command spokesman Yuri Ignat admitted late last month that the country is lacking many types of interceptor weapons and missiles for fighters, not just having problems with Patriot ammunition. However, Ukrainian officials at that time did not specifically mention the F-16 squadron.
According to the US military website War Zone, this information shows more clearly the difficult reality of the Ukrainian F-16 fleet. "This country's air force has fighters and pilots, but not enough missiles for missions," the US website commented.
The commander of the Ukrainian 107th Independent Air Wing, call sign Phantom, confirmed the problem when asked if Ukraine had a serious shortage of missiles for the F-16. "That's right. Every aircraft is useless without weapons. The top priority target is Russian cruise missiles, in addition we also focus on fighting UAVs," Phantom said.
Images released by the Ukrainian Air Force at the end of 2025 showed that F-16 fighters were only equipped with old AIM-9L/M short-range air-to-air missiles, manufactured in the 1970s and 1980s, and no longer carried the most modern AIM-120B/C or AIM-9X medium-range bullets donated by the US like in the early stages of the war.
Ukrainian pilots also had to reuse "spray launcher" missiles, which were inactive during previous interceptions, in the hope that they would fire successfully after maintenance.
In the case of using the 20 mm M61A1 rotary barrel cannon, Ukrainian F-16s must approach the target at a close distance to ensure the ability to capture and shoot down the target. Western experts evaluate this solution as a waste of aircraft and a threat to the pilot's life, because the fighter is at risk of being damaged by fragments from exploding UAVs and being mistakenly shot by ground air defense.
Ukraine has lost many fighters, including at least four F-16s, when dealing with Russia's long-range UAVs.
Another type of anti-UAV weapon that Phantom has not mentioned is the 2nd generation Advanced Precision Kill System (APKWS II), which is a Hydra 70 rocket equipped with a laser guide and is cheaper than traditional air-to-air missiles. Ukrainian F-16 fighters first deployed APKWS II in February, but it is unclear the total number of rockets donated by the US and how many are currently in stock.
Phantom called on Western partners to provide additional missiles. "We need more defense means, such as Patriot, AIM-9 and AIM-120 missiles. Just delivering more aircraft is not enough, we need a stable, sustainable supply of weapons to maintain their combat effectiveness," the Ukrainian pilot said.
Missile exhaustion occurred when Ukraine fired a large number of air-to-air weapons to deal with large-scale Russian raids. The country also has to compete with huge demand from the Middle East and other parts of the world, while current output is not enough.
"At least we need to make efforts to increase the production of missiles, as well as allow Ukraine to localize the production process for manufacturing domestically or in other European countries," Phantom said.
