Denmark has delivered more than 50,000 rounds of 20 mm ammunition for Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jets, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced on Thursday, Oct. 22.
The ammunition has arrived and is being used to intercept Russian jet-powered Shahed-type attack drones, the ministry said.
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Denmark redirected part of a planned ammunition sale after an urgent request from Kyiv, securing the agreement of the partner country that was due to receive the rounds.
Copenhagen, which has also donated F-16s to Ukraine, had already supplied much of its 20 mm ammunition stockpile to Kyiv or sold it to partners as it transitions to F-35 fighters, according to the ministry.
The delivery follows earlier ammunition shipments from Belgium and Spain, which President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sept. 29.
Aircraft counter jet-powered drones
Speaking to journalists on Saturday, Oct. 17, Zelensky said Ukraine was increasing supplies of 20 mm ammunition for its F-16s under agreements with international partners.
He said aircraft accounted for 55–60% of the jet-powered Shahed drones Ukraine had shot down. The figure referred to aircraft interceptions overall, rather than kills specifically attributed to F-16 cannons.
Zelensky also said cheaper missiles were beginning to enter service, with further counter-drone capabilities expected from partners and Ukrainian manufacturers.
“Several new solutions will soon be available to us in Ukraine from our partners, and we also have domestically produced systems that are already in operation,” he said.
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He did not specify which of those systems would be fitted to F-16s.
How the F-16’s cannon works
The F-16 carries an internal M61A1 Vulcan, a six-barrel, 20 mm rotary cannon.
According to manufacturer General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, the F-16 gun system carries 511 rounds and fires at a rate of 6,000 rounds per minute.
Its linkless, closed-loop feed system stores both unfired ammunition and spent casings in a rotating drum rather than ejecting the casings from the aircraft.
The Danish delivery adds ammunition for a weapon Ukrainian pilots are already using against jet-powered drones, alongside efforts to secure additional missiles and other interception systems.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry thanked Denmark for responding promptly to its request.
Ukraine is also developing additional counter-drone weapons: Zelensky previously announced that Kyiv had identified prototypes designed to intercept jet-powered Shaheds, alongside negotiations with partners over further F-16 support.
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