Moscow Teases Weapon to Counter F-16s in Ukraine—Russian Media

New footage circulating on social media appears to show Russia's upgraded Su-30 fighter jets fitted with new missiles, Russian and Ukrainian sources have reported, as Kyiv awaits the first U.S.-made F-16 jets taking to its skies.

The tests for an Su-30SM2 multirole fighter jet fitted with R-37 long-range hypersonic missiles were in preparation for the imminent arrival of U.S.-made F-16s in Ukraine, said Kremlin-affiliated media outlet Top War on Wednesday, citing "Western and Ukrainian experts."

"Our military pilots, as it were, showed that they are quite ready for the arrival of NATO aircraft and will meet them properly," read the report.

Ukrainian military bloggers on Wednesday also noted the jets were fitted R-77 active radar homing air-to-air missiles. A prominent Russian military blogger also said the new video was the first indicator of R-37 long-range air-launched missiles on Su-30SM2 fighters belonging to Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

However, Russia's Defense Ministry, which appears to be the source of the footage, said the clip showed Su-30SM jets—not Su-30SM2—firing on Ukrainian naval drones in the Black Sea. It did not specify the weapons systems installed on the jets.

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.

Su-30SM2 jets are modified versions of Russia's Su-30 aircraft. Russian state media have described the jets as fitted with "sophisticated" avionics, including radars, to boost the aircraft's ability to detect and identify targets at longer ranges.

Kremlin-backed reports have suggested they are "capable of delivering strikes against aerial, ground and naval targets with new smart weapons from a distance of several hundred kilometers," but did not offer further detail on specific weapons systems.

In November 2022, state news agency Tass reported that Moscow's Defense Ministry had received a "new batch" of Su-30SM2 fighters, reconfigured to launch a "larger arsenal" of long-range, air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles.

Russian state media then reported in April 2023 that Russia's Baltic Fleet based in the western Kaliningrad region had completed drills, including with the upgraded Su-30SM and Su-30SM2 multirole fighters.

The most recent version of the Military Balance, the annual count of the world's armed forces compiled by the U.K.-based think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Moscow had four combat-capable Su-30SM2 aircraft.

Pro-Ukrainian military Telegram channels have also speculated that the reported tests and the upcoming arrival of the F-16s in Ukraine was no coincidence.

Several of Ukraine's Western backers pledged the Lockheed Martin-made fighter jets in 2023, but the timeline for their arrival—and when Kyiv will have them operational—has been murky and subject to change.

Once Ukraine can get the jets in the air, its pilots will be able to operate from farther distances, taking out Russian ground-based defenses more easily and keeping Moscow's own jets at bay. Although not a silver bullet, the aircraft are expected to make Russian strikes on Ukraine more difficult to carry out, endanger Russian assets and counter any superiority Russia has in the air.

On Wednesday, Ilya Yevlash, a spokesperson for Ukraine's air force, said the first Ukrainian F-16 specialists had returned to Ukraine from international training, adding that just one Western-made jet would "be capable of performing certain functions together with our, unfortunately, outdated aircraft fleet."

The jets will be a significant upgrade for Ukraine's aging fleet that has weathered more than two years of full-scale war.

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