What You Need to Know: Russia has claimed that its Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and artillery system can easily shoot down F-16 Fighting Falcons, which Ukraine has recently received from NATO allies but has used only defensively against Russian missiles and drones.

-Bekkhan Ozdoyev, industrial director at Rostec, stated that the Pantsir-S has successfully intercepted targets like the Storm Shadow cruise missiles and would find it "not difficult" to destroy an F-16. However, experts are skeptical due to the Pantsir-S's limited range of about 20 miles and question the likelihood of Ukrainian F-16s operating within that range.

-Some suggest that Russia is exaggerating the system's capabilities to boost foreign sales, as there is no independent confirmation of its alleged successes against advanced aircraft.

Russia Claims Its Pantsir-S Can Easily Down Ukraine's F-16s

The American-made F-16 Fighting Falcon has only been deployed in a "defensive" capacity in Ukraine, countering missiles and drones fired by Russia at Ukraine's cities and energy infrastructure. The all-weather multirole jet fighters – which have been supplied to Kyiv from several NATO members including Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway – haven't actually been employed in any offensive operations, but when the time comes, Russia may have the weapons to counter it.

Or at least according to one official in Russia's military-industrial complex, who claimed on Tuesday that the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and artillery systems are more than up to the task of downing the F-16.

"The Pantsir-S system is one of the most effective ones in its class. The complex successfully shoots down sophisticated targets with low radar visibility, for instance, Western low-observable Storm Shadow cruise missiles and high-accuracy multiple rocket launchers. It is not difficult for the Pantsir to destroy such a typical target as an F-16. At present, our enterprise is producing the systems ahead of schedule. Also, Rostec continues to work on the development of new versions of these machines," vowed Bekkhan Ozdoyev, the industrial director of the state-owned Rostec corporation's armaments cluster, according to a report from Russian state media outlet Tass.

The Kremlin has previously claimed the Pantsir air-defense missile was used to counter ATACMS ballistic missiles and Storm Shadow cruise missiles, but there has been no independent confirmation.

Short-Range System

The Pantsir-S (NATO reporting name SA-22 Greyhound) surface-to-air missile system was developed by A.G. Shipunov Instrument Design Burea, and according to Tass was "designed for short-range defense of civilian and military facilities, as well as for covering long-range air defense systems." The mobile launchers are often employed to provide close-in defense for longer-range air defense systems including the S-300, S-400, and S-500 platforms.

 As further reported by the CSIS Missile Defense Project, the Pantsir utilizes "anti-aircraft guns and missiles to intercept tactical aircraft, precision-guided munitions (PGMs), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)." Though it can reportedly track up to 20 aerial targets its range is limited to just around 20 miles, suggesting that the claim that the Pantsir-S could take down an F-16 or really any modern aircraft needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Kyiv is unlikely to deploy the F-16s so close to the frontlines that the mobile launcher would ever have a chance of getting the multirole fighter in its crosshairs.

There have also been claims for years that the Pantsir system has failed to effectively counter close-in aerial threats, but Russia has increasingly tried to find foreign buyers for the system. It could be speculated that Ozdoyev is simply hyping the platform to boost interest and find additional customers.

Russian military officials and pro-Kremlin propagandists have made repeated claims of downing an F-16, but to date, no Fighting Falcon has been lost to enemy fire in the ongoing fighting in Ukraine. However, one F-16 was lost in a crash in August, likely the result of pilot error.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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