{"id":1336567,"date":"2025-12-24T13:37:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T11:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/when-the-sky-became-ours-how-ukrainian-pilots-did-the-impossible\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T04:55:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T02:55:01","slug":"when-the-sky-became-ours-how-ukrainian-pilots-did-the-impossible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/when-the-sky-became-ours-how-ukrainian-pilots-did-the-impossible\/","title":{"rendered":"They Took the Sky: How Ukrainian Pilots Defied the Impossible"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Source: Author&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/zoyakazanzhy\/posts\/pfbid02BG7mDf9YbyXoWw5iEPEa8FaU1BHfxnCqUkZkSys1dmf2A5XF8ZMPmMN3LtWPJ5WJl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Facebook<\/a> page<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Yesterday will undoubtedly go down in the history of the Russian\u2013Ukrainian war. On December 23, Russia launched 35 missiles at Ukraine, 34 of which were intercepted and destroyed. A 97 per cent interception rate is an exceptionally high result for a large-scale missile attack\u2014and a clear indicator of a turning point in the air war.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"146\" data-end=\"186\">Here is what is known from open sources.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"188\" data-end=\"375\">The attack unfolded in several waves during the night and the pre-dawn hours. The enemy\u2019s primary targets were critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine\u2019s central and western regions.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"377\" data-end=\"645\">It has been confirmed that F-16 units were deployed to intercept targets in areas where ground-based air-defence systems\u2014such as Patriot\u2014had limited coverage or required reinforcement. In their designated sectors, the aircraft performed with exceptional effectiveness.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"647\" data-end=\"866\">Yet the key point is not merely the number of missiles intercepted\u2014impressive as those figures are. What truly matters is the demonstrated efficiency of integrating F-16s into Ukraine\u2019s overall air-defence architecture.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"868\" data-end=\"1017\">This effectively puts to rest the sceptics\u2019 doubts about whether F-16 aircraft can intercept cruise missiles under real combat conditions in Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1019\" data-end=\"1263\">For a long time, sceptics questioned whether Ukrainian pilots and the supporting infrastructure could achieve results comparable to those of ground-based systems such as the Patriot. The latest operation has settled the debate once and for all.<\/p>\n\t\t<aside class=\"shortcode-also\" data-title=\"Read also\" >\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/sbu-shoots-down-russian-reconnaissance-plane-detecting-ukrainian-drones-in-the-black-sea\/\">SBU shoots down Russian reconnaissance plane detecting Ukrainian drones in the Black Sea<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\n<p data-start=\"112\" data-end=\"267\">December 23 provided a decisive demonstration. Fighters enabled coverage of areas where rapidly deploying ground-based systems would have been difficult.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"269\" data-end=\"381\">Military analysts identify three key factors that ensured success in the aircraft sectors of responsibility:<\/p>\n<ol data-start=\"383\" data-end=\"808\">\n<li data-start=\"383\" data-end=\"649\">\n<p data-start=\"386\" data-end=\"649\">Ukrainian F-16s began operating as part of a unified digital network with NATO AWACS aircraft (patrolling the airspace of neighbouring countries) and ground-based radars. Pilots were able to detect targets long before they entered the range of their own systems.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"651\" data-end=\"808\">\n<p data-start=\"654\" data-end=\"808\">The use of the latest air-to-air missiles made it possible to intercept and neutralise incoming missiles at long distances, preventing them from reaching cities.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a03. The aircraft&#8217;s ability to rapidly redeploy between regions enabled them to intercept missiles that changed course, a feat that stationary systems struggle to achieve.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"254\" data-end=\"387\">The cost of an air-to-air missile is often lower than that of a Patriot missile, making such interceptions <strong data-start=\"361\" data-end=\"384\">more cost-effective<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"389\" data-end=\"610\">The Air Force Command emphasises that although shooting down 34 out of 35 missiles is phenomenal, it is not a miracle \u2014 rather, it is the result of <strong data-start=\"537\" data-end=\"607\">complex training and preparation by pilots over the past two years<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\t\t<aside class=\"shortcode-also\" data-title=\"Read also\" data-right>\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/the-trough-burned-down-how-the-sbu-got-to-the-russian-shadow-fleet\/\">A Bad Day at the Trough: The SBU and the Sudden Collapse of Russia\u2019s Shadow Fleet<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\n<p data-start=\"69\" data-end=\"332\">If only we had received more active support with aircraft and other essential equipment! If only we were not tied hand and foot!\u00a0 And only the assistance had been aimed at helping us defend the country, not merely to survive, but to put an end to Russian terror!<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"334\" data-end=\"535\">High efficiency on a single day does not guarantee freedom from threats in the future. The enemy\u2019s tactics are constantly evolving. Yes, they adapt quickly and still possess substantial resources.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"537\" data-end=\"649\">But December 23 remains the day when the sky became ours. Gratitude and respect to those who made it possible.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"651\" data-end=\"915\">Let us recall that on the night of December 22\u201323 (starting at 6:00 PM on December 22), the enemy launched a coordinated attack on Ukraine\u2019s critical infrastructure, employing both unmanned attack systems and various types of missiles \u2014 air- and ground-launched.<\/p>\n<p><em>Let us remind you that on the night of December 22-23 (starting at 6:00 PM on December 22), the enemy carried out a combined attack on critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine, using both unmanned attack systems and missiles of various types &#8211; air- and ground-based.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The attack was repelled by Air Force units: aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare complexes and unmanned systems, as well as mobile fire groups of the Defence Forces. Air defence <a href=\"https:\/\/prm.ua\/rosiia-vypustyla-600-droniv-i-raket-po-ukraini-skilky-zbyla-ppo\/\">shot down\/suppressed 621 air targets<\/a> :<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2013 587 enemy UAVs of the Shahed, Gerbera types (drones of other types);<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2013 34 Kh-101, Iskander-K cruise missiles.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Also, follow <strong>\u201cPryamyi\u201d<\/strong> on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pryamiy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/prm_ua\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/+rtV4dxYu2_cyNjVi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Telegram<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/pryamiy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><em>\u2022 Materials published in the \u201cOPINIONS\u201d section reflect the opinion of the author of the publication, who bears full responsibility for the accuracy of the information.<\/em><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><em>\u2022 The editorial staff of prm.ua may not share the opinions expressed in the author&#8217;s material.<\/em><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><em>\u2022 The owner of the webpage in the \u201cOPINIONS\u201d section is the author of the publication.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Source: Author&#8217;s Facebook page Yesterday will undoubtedly go down in the history of the Russian\u2013Ukrainian war. On December 23, Russia launched 35 missiles at Ukraine, 34 of which were intercepted and destroyed. A 97 per cent interception rate is an exceptionally high result for a large-scale missile attack\u2014and a clear indicator of a turning point [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":1336515,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76871,76872,76893],"class_list":["post-1336567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-2","category-news-feed","category-thoughts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1336567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1336567"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1336567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1336743,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1336567\/revisions\/1336743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1336515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1336567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1336567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}