This morning, the team of Ukrainian Air Force fighters "Sunflower" published a photo of an F-16 in the air during its landing approach. In this image, apart from the F-16 itself, its armament can also be seen.
In the photo, three underwing fuel tanks can be discerned, which can hold 1,040 gallons (3,940 liters) of aviation fuel. With this amount of fuel, the aircraft is capable of flying approximately 1,700 km, indicating that the flight was long and likely covered a significant distance.
As noted by "Sunflower," the F-16 was probably carrying out a mission to provide cover for a strike group, meaning it was protecting the aircraft conducting strikes against ground targets from aerial threats.
This leads to the assumption that if previously this role was typically performed by older MiG-29s and Su-27s, they have now been replaced by the F-16. Moreover, the combat capabilities of the F-16 are significantly higher, which is particularly important in cover missions. Thus, they can now be widely utilized for other missions. Specifically, the MiG-29 is being used for the deployment of French precision long-range AASM Hammer bombs, footage of which began surfacing back in 2024, just a few months before the first F-16s arrived in Ukraine.
However, what is even more significant is its armament. Under the wings, air-to-air missiles with an infrared homing head and short-range AIM-9 can be spotted, and judging by the shape of the fins, this is the AIM-9X variant. Earlier, photos of the F-16 with AIM-9 missiles surfaced, but those were older variants, specifically L or M.
At the suspension point at the wingtip, there is an AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missile, distinguishable from older variants by its trapezoidal fin shape, whereas older models have a triangular shape.
Interestingly, the aircraft carries two AIM-9X missiles and only one AIM-120C, even though its standard configuration typically allows for two missiles of each type. This suggests that one AIM-120C has already been used against a target.
Another intriguing detail is the ECIPS/CJS container from the Danish company Terma and the Italian company Leonardo. Although it has been previously "spotted," it remains quite interesting as it integrates a powerful digital electronic warfare station capable of jamming the radar of enemy aircraft and surface-to-air missile systems, as well as a threat detection system for missile attacks, particularly through the detection of incoming missiles.