Kyiv: Ukraine’s F 16 fighter jets faced a serious shortage of US made missiles for several weeks late last year, making it harder for the country to defend its airspace from Russian attacks.

Reports said the shortage happened between late November and mid December 2025. During this time, Ukraine had only a small number of missiles available for the F 16 aircraft that were recently supplied by Western allies.

Because of the shortage, some Ukrainian pilots had to depend on the aircraft’s gun or use older missiles that had earlier technical problems. This reduced their ability to intercept Russian drones and cruise missiles that are often launched at Ukrainian cities and energy facilities.

The F 16 jets mainly use US supplied air to air missiles such as the AIM 9 Sidewinder and the AIM 120 AMRAAM. These missiles allow pilots to destroy targets in the air from a distance and are important for protecting the country from aerial attacks.

Experts say the shortage happened because Western countries have limited stocks of these advanced missiles and production is slow. Growing tensions and conflicts in other regions have also increased the demand for similar weapons.

Missile deliveries later resumed before Russia launched major winter attacks, allowing Ukraine to strengthen its air defence again.

However, analysts warn that the incident shows a weakness in Ukraine’s defence system. If supplies slow down again or global conflicts increase demand for the same weapons, similar shortages could happen in the future.