Ukraine has secured a fresh supply line for one of the least glamorous but most urgently needed items in its air war: 20mm cannon ammunition for its F-16 fighter jets. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has confirmed that Spain, Belgium and Poland have begun supplying the rounds, which Kyiv describes as critical for shooting down the jet-powered drones Russia is now using in growing numbers against Ukrainian cities.
A full day spent on a single calibre
Speaking to journalists, Sybiha said he and Defence Minister Yevhen Khmara had spent an entire day working on the 20mm problem and had "secured a solution for this calibre for a significant period of time". The first consignments are already moving and the ammunition is expected to arrive in Ukraine "very soon". Kyiv is also talking to private manufacturers about direct purchases, and Sybiha said he hoped an upcoming visit would produce an agreement covering several million rounds.
The urgency is driven by arithmetic. Ground-based air defence missiles are effective but expensive, and commanders cannot afford to expend them on every incoming drone. Fighter jets, by contrast, can chase down a jet-powered drone and kill it with a short burst of cannon fire or a cheap guided rocket at a fraction of the cost. That is why, Sybiha explained, Ukraine is now using its F-16s "extensively" in the counter-drone role — and why the jets are burning through cannon ammunition at a rate that has made resupply a ministerial-level priority.
The scoreboard behind the scramble
The consumption figures explain the pressure. The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Lieutenant General Anatolii Kryvonozhko, recently told Lockheed Martin representatives that Ukrainian F-16 pilots have shot down more than 3,150 enemy aerial targets, including 666 cruise missiles and an estimated 2,500 drones of various types. The same jets have carried out more than 650 airstrikes against Russian ground positions, typically with GBU-39 small-diameter bombs, and have recently been augmented with APKWS guided rockets that let them kill drones far more cheaply than with a full air-to-air missile.
Reinforcements are also on the way. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on September 29 that Belgium will transfer three F-16s by the end of the year under an accelerated procedure, the first of 30 promised Belgian aircraft, alongside urgent deliveries of F-16 ammunition from Belgium, Spain and other partners. In the same week, Ukraine took delivery of what Zelensky called a "very good" assistance package built around a NASAMS air defence system, while talks continue on securing a steady supply of Patriot missiles for ballistic defence.
Keeping ageing jets in the fight
The scramble for shells sits alongside a quieter maintenance challenge. The F-16s Ukraine flies are 1970s- and 1980s-built airframes that received a midlife update, and intensive wartime use is driving heavy inspection demands. The Wall Street Journal has reported that more than half of Ukraine's F-16s are in maintenance limbo because of delays at the Belgian company responsible for their long-term support, a claim Ukrainian officials have not publicly confirmed. Kyiv's answer, on current evidence, is to widen the pool: more airframes from Belgium, discussions with Lockheed Martin about future fighter options, and — as Sybiha noted this week — asking partners to order jet-powered interceptor drones directly from Ukrainian private manufacturers, who say they can scale production if funding arrives on time.
For now, the immediate battle is logistical. Every jet-powered drone Russia launches must be met by something cheaper than a Patriot interceptor, and at present that something is most often an F-16 and its cannon. Securing millions of 20mm rounds from three allies at once does not make headlines like a new missile system, but it is the kind of unglamorous supply work that will decide how many drones reach Ukrainian cities this winter.
Watch our latest video coverage here: https://www.youtube.com/@CapitolInvestigates