F-16s Down Majority of Jet Drones Amid Munition Build-Up, Zelensky Says

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that combat aviation, primarily Western-supplied F-16 multirole fighters, accounts for 55 to 60 percent of interceptions against Russian jet-powered Shahed strike drones as Ukraine expands stockpiles of 20mm ammunition. Zelensky noted that Ukraine is also scaling up domestic automated turrets and low-cost interceptor missiles. To counter ballistic threats ahead of winter, Zelensky urged European partners to transfer PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptor packages before the 10-nation FREYJA anti-ballistic program and German procurement contracts become operational, while noting Europe is working on sovereign satellite alternatives to Starlink.