The delivery was organized on an accelerated basis following an urgent request from Kyiv. According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian pilots are already using the shells to intercept jet-powered strike drones of the “Shahed”/”Geran” type.
The ammunition is intended for the M61A1 Vulcan onboard cannon on the F-16. Using the cannon makes it possible to shoot down relatively cheap drones without expending expensive air-to-air missiles.
To speed up the transfer, Denmark, in agreement with the buyer, redirected to Ukraine part of a batch previously intended for another country. Earlier, additional 20 mm shells were supplied to Ukraine by Belgium and Spain.
