Overview
- Ground-shot footage released by Ukraine’s air force shows a Shahed‑136 exploding midair as an F-16 passes and the M61A1 Vulcan’s fire is heard.
- Ukraine reported an overnight Russian strike of 11 ballistic missiles and 149 drones, saying defenses neutralized 116 UAVs, roughly 90 of them Shahed-type.
- Ukrainian officials said recent drone attacks killed at least four people, including a mother and her 10-year-old son in the Kharkiv region, and caused power outages.
- Using aircraft guns reduces costs versus expending surface-to-air missiles yet forces risky close-range engagements at low altitude for pilots.
- Ukraine has lost at least four F-16s, three during drone attacks, as Russia adapts by fielding Shaheds observed with backward-facing R-60 missiles, according to ISW.