A Russian oil equipment company, Fores, has announced a substantial bounty for the first successful downing of a US-made F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine. Sergey Shmotyev, Director General of Fores, stated at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that the company would pay 15 million rubles, approximately $168,000, for this achievement.
The announcement comes as Ukraine prepares to receive F-16 jets from several NATO countries, including the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium. The integration of these advanced fighter jets into Ukraine’s air force is seen as a significant step in bolstering the country’s defense capabilities against ongoing Russian aggression. Ukrainian pilots have been training on the F-16s in the US, Denmark, and Romania over the past six months, with the first jets expected to arrive later this year.
Shmotyev’s declaration is not the first instance of Fores incentivizing the destruction of Western-supplied military equipment in Ukraine. The company has previously offered cash prizes for destroying Western tanks, with several payments reportedly made to date.
The deployment of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine represents a strategic enhancement of the nation’s aerial capabilities. These jets, originally built by Lockheed Martin in the 1980s but upgraded several times since, are versatile in combat roles, including attacking air defenses and supply lines. Ukraine aims to utilize the F-16s to protect border areas from Russian KAB glide bombs, which have been launched from distances beyond the range of Ukrainian air defenses by Russian Su-30, Su-34, and Su-35 aircraft.
Equipped with the AIM-120 air-to-air missile, the F-16s are expected to either intercept Russian attack planes or deter them from operating within range.
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