{ "archive_path": "archive/1788429983.80979", "base_url": "www.twz.com/air/missile-shortage-has-now-hit-ukrainian-f-16-force", "basename": "missile-shortage-has-now-hit-ukrainian-f-16-force", "bookmarked_date": "2026-09-03 10:06", "canonical": { "archive_org_path": "https://web.archive.org/web/www.twz.com/air/missile-shortage-has-now-hit-ukrainian-f-16-force", "dom_path": "output.html", "favicon_path": "favicon.ico", "git_path": "git/", "google_favicon_path": "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=www.twz.com", "headers_path": "headers.json", "htmltotext_path": "htmltotext.txt", "index_path": "index.html", "media_path": "media/", "mercury_path": "mercury/content.html", "pdf_path": "output.pdf", "readability_path": "readability/content.html", "screenshot_path": "screenshot.png", "singlefile_path": "singlefile.html", "warc_path": "warc/", "wget_path": "www.twz.com/air/missile-shortage-has-now-hit-ukrainian-f-16-force.html" }, "domain": "www.twz.com", "extension": "", "hash": "1MRS5EE27X8A9R4MDK1V", "history": { "archive_org": [], "dom": [], "favicon": [ { "cmd": [ "curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--max-time", "120", "--output", "favicon.ico", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) curl/curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=www.twz.com" ], "cmd_version": "curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "end_ts": "2026-09-03T10:23:27.108710+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "favicon.ico", "pwd": "/data/archive/1788429983.80979", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-03T10:23:26.672538+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "git": [], "headers": [ { "cmd": [ "curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--head", "--max-time", "120", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) curl/curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "https://www.twz.com/air/missile-shortage-has-now-hit-ukrainian-f-16-force" ], "cmd_version": "curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "end_ts": "2026-09-03T10:23:27.414942+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "headers.json", "pwd": "/data/archive/1788429983.80979", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-03T10:23:27.120825+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "htmltotext": [], "media": [], "mercury": [ { "cmd": [ "/app/node_modules/@postlight/parser/cli.js", "https://www.twz.com/air/missile-shortage-has-now-hit-ukrainian-f-16-force" ], "cmd_version": "1.0.0", "end_ts": "2026-09-03T10:23:41.864190+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "mercury", "pwd": "/data/archive/1788429983.80979", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-03T10:23:38.602400+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "pdf": [], "readability": [ { "cmd": [ "/app/node_modules/readability-extractor/readability-extractor", "/tmp/tmp1r9bdbki", "https://www.twz.com/air/missile-shortage-has-now-hit-ukrainian-f-16-force" ], "cmd_version": "0.0.11", "end_ts": "2026-09-03T10:23:38.587093+00:00", "index_texts": [ "Ukrainian F-16 pilots are facing such a severe shortage of air-to-air missiles that some daytime sorties have seen them rely solely on the fighters\u2019 internal guns to engage Russian aerial threats, according to a journalist who recently spoke with a senior Ukrainian Air Force commander. Meanwhile, the lack of air-to-air missiles means that the available weapons stocks are now being rationed.\n\n\n\nThe disclosure provides a remarkable glimpse into the day-to-day reality of Ukraine\u2019s F-16 operations. While the aircraft may be available, the pilots may be ready, and Russian drones and cruise missiles may be approaching, there may simply not be enough missiles on hand to arm the jets.\n\n\n\nAccording to Newsmax journalist Shelby Wilder, the Ukrainian Air Force can find itself monitoring missile shipments as they cross the country\u2019s border, with personnel counting not just the hours but the minutes until those weapons reach the aircraft. The concern is whether the missiles will arrive in time for the next major Russian aerial attack.\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\tEXCLUSIVE: Ukraine F-16 Pilots Rationing Missiles as Russian Attacks Intensify | NEWSMAX2\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Ukrainian commander, who identified himself by the callsign \u201cPhantom\u201d and as commander of the country\u2019s 107th Wing, confirmed the underlying problem when asked directly whether Ukraine was severely short of missiles for its F-16s.\n\n\n\n\u201cYes, that\u2019s true. Any aircraft without weapons is \u2026 useless,\u201d Phantom said.\n\n\n\nThat blunt assessment is particularly striking given what Ukraine is asking its F-16s to do, and the relentless nature of Russian bombardments against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u2757\ufe0fThe moment when a \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet shot down a \ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\uddfaRussian Kh-101 cruise missile at extremely low altitude pic.twitter.com/7zVujRkYaG\u2014 \ud83e\ude96MilitaryNewsUA\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@front_ukrainian) June 1, 2026\n\n\n\n\n\nThe fighters have become an important part of Ukraine\u2019s layered air defense network, hunting Russian drones and cruise missiles while also providing a potential counter to Russian combat aircraft, and conducting air-to-ground sorties. Ukraine has operated the F-16 since the summer of 2024.\n\n\n\n\u201cWe are focusing on defending our skies against Russian unmanned drones to protect our infrastructure inside the country,\u201d Phantom said. \u201cOur target priority is cruise missiles.\u201d\n\n\n\nDestroying as many incoming threats as possible before they reach Ukrainian cities and infrastructure requires missiles, with the F-16 primarily armed with the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and the shorter-range AIM-9 Sidewinder.\n\n\n\nAnother live AIM-9L/M launch. This Ukrainian F-16 carries six Sidewinders.\u00a0Ukrainian Air Force screencap \n\n\n\nAccording to the new disclosure, those missiles have become a commodity whose availability can determine how a sortie is flown.\n\n\n\nThe F-16 carries an M61A1 Vulcan 20mm rotary cannon, but using the gun against an aerial target is fundamentally different from engaging it with a missile, and comes with its own risks, as we have explored before. This tactic is especially hazardous when going after small targets and especially slow ones, and it becomes even more dangerous at night.\n\n\n\nUkraine has already demonstrated that its F-16s can use their guns in combat. In May 2025, the Ukrainian Air Force said an F-16 pilot had destroyed three aerial targets and was engaging a fourth with the aircraft cannon before an emergency forced him to eject.\n\n\n\nAn armorer loads an F-16 with 20mm ammunition for its M61A1 cannon.\u00a0Ukrainian Air Force screencap \n\n\n\nOne air-to-air weapon not mentioned by Phoenix is the laser-guided 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II\u00a0(APKWS II) rocket, now apparently also part of the arsenal. These rockets would offer the Ukrainian Air Force an\u00a0extremely\u00a0valuable, lower-cost option for engaging drones and subsonic cruise missiles.\u00a0\n\n\n\nRegardless, Phantom specifically called for additional air-to-air missiles, as well as interceptors for ground-based Patriot batteries.\n\n\n\n\u201cWe require more means of protection, such as Patriot missiles and air-to-air missiles, AIM-9s or AIM-120s to our fleet,\u201d he said.\n\n\n\nPhantom\u2019s message is that simply delivering more aircraft is not enough. Ukraine needs a sustainable weapons pipeline to keep those aircraft combat-effective.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis is increasingly becoming a wider problem across Ukraine\u2019s air defense network. Patriot interceptors have been heavily consumed, with relatively few replacement missiles now trickling in, leaving Ukraine with limited ability to defend against ballistic missiles in particular. The strain is now spilling into the lower tiers, including the air-to-air missiles carried by F-16s. Ukraine\u2019s continued consumption of interceptors is a major driver, but it is competing with the enormous demand generated by ongoing wars in the Middle East and a broader surge in demand for advanced air defense weapons around the world. With production struggling to keep pace, scarce interceptors are effectively being rationed across an increasingly crowded global battlefield.\n\n\n\n\u201cAt least we need to try to increase the production, or at least to allow Ukraine to localize the production in Ukraine or other European countries,\u201d he said.\n\n\n\nThat proposal reflects the fundamental vulnerability of a relatively small fleet operating in a high-intensity air war. Every missile fired at a Russian cruise missile or drone is one less available for the next engagement. A finite inventory therefore has to cover both routine air-defense missions and the possibility of much larger Russian attacks. At the same time, both the AIM-9 and especially the AIM-120 are used for Ukrainian ground-based air defenses too. The AMRAAM, in particular, is the effector for the NASAMS, which protects Kyiv, and other key objectives against cruise missiles and drones.\n\n\n\nAir-to-air with two F-16s. The nearest jet carries a wingtip AMRAAM.\u00a0Ukrainian Air Force screencap \n\n\n\nThe problem becomes even more acute because Ukraine cannot know precisely when the next major Russian strike will arrive.\n\n\n\nThat is why, according to Wilder\u2019s account, the arrival of missile shipments is being followed with extraordinary urgency. \n\n\n\nAt the same time, Phantom welcomed the major technological leap that the F-16 represents over the Soviet-designed MiG-29s and Su-27s that formed the backbone of Ukraine\u2019s fighter force.\n\n\n\n\u201cThe F-16s in comparison with the legacy aircraft like MiG-29 or Su-27? This is kind of like a new technology,\u201d Phantom said.\n\n\n\nBut sophisticated aircraft are only as useful as the weapons available to them.\n\n\n\nUkrainian F-16s have reportedly destroyed huge numbers of Russian drones and cruise missiles, and in July a Ukrainian F-16 was publicly identified by the U.S. Joint Chiefs chairman as having shot down a Russian fighter. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u26a1\ufe0f CONFIRMED!On July 8, 2026, a Russian Su-35 multi-role fighter was shot down on the eastern sector!\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 Glory to Ukraine! \u270a Together to victory! pic.twitter.com/r8S9fgQaC5\u2014 Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) July 8, 2026\n\n\n\n\n\nPhantom also asked Ukraine\u2019s Western partners to think beyond individual weapons transfers and toward production capacity.\n\n\n\nHe also urged the United States and European countries to do more to prevent Russia from acquiring components used in its own missile production through third countries.\n\n\n\n\u201cWe need to make as much as we can to stop providing the parts, most technological parts to Russians, bypassing the direct sales, of course, through the third party,\u201d he said.\n\n\n\nAn armed F-16 between sorties.\u00a0Ukrainian Air Force screencap \n\n\n\nPhantom argued that Russia continues to obtain sophisticated components through intermediaries and even ostensibly civilian products.\n\n\n\n\u201cIt would not be a surprise that Russians [are] using the washing machine that they\u2019re buying from the third party to use those smart details for building missiles,\u201d he said. \n\n\n\nHis recommendation is tighter sanctions and enforcement designed to cut off Russia\u2019s access to those components.\n\n\n\n\u201cImportant is to sanction to stop Russia from being able to have access to those parts,\u201d he said.\n\n\n\nThat, combined with missile shortages, could become an even bigger problem when Russia conducts another major aerial campaign against Ukraine, particularly as Moscow traditionally intensifies attacks against the country\u2019s energy infrastructure during the winter months.\n\n\n\nContact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com" ], "output": "readability", "pwd": "/data/archive/1788429983.80979", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-03T10:23:35.857887+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "screenshot": [], "singlefile": [], "title": [ { "cmd": [ "curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--max-time", "120", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; 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