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Ukraine Battles Russian Drones with Decoy F-16s

1/31/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Russian drones increasingly target Ukraine, with decoy F-16s (rubber or wood) used to mislead and threaten Ukrainian airfields.
The United States has not supplied flyable F-16s, but has provided unflyable models as distractions for Russia.
Ukraine has conducted unmanned strikes against Russian positions and uses Starlink for drone operations.
Ukrainian forces also produce decoys from scrap materials and inflatable versions to protect real aircraft.

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Story summary

Russian drones increasingly target Ukraine, with decoy F-16s (rubber or wood) used to mislead and threaten Ukrainian airfields.
The United States has not supplied flyable F-16s, but has provided unflyable models as distractions for Russia.
Ukraine has conducted unmanned strikes against Russian positions and uses Starlink for drone operations.
Ukrainian forces also produce decoys from scrap materials and inflatable versions to protect real aircraft.