A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet A recently donated F-16 fighter jet from European countries has crashed, killing its pilot while defending against Russian missile fire, Ukraine’s military said Thursday. It is the first time that Russia has caused a U.S.-made fourth-generation fighter jet to go down. Ukraine’s General Staff said in a post on Telegram that communication with one of the F-16s taking part in the operation was lost, but did not specify when the incident occurred. “As it later emerged, the plane crashed,” the military said, and “the pilot was killed.”
kyiv has appointed a special commission to investigate the cause of the crash, the statement said. The F-16s shot down four Russian cruise missiles during the mission, the military said. However, as one of the F-16s approached the next target, communication was lost and authorities were later able to confirm that the aircraft had crashed and its sole occupant had been killed. The Ukrainian military has not commented on a possible shootdown.
Ukrainian authorities have identified the victim as Pilot Oleksi Mes, who had participated in training offered to Ukrainian military personnel to operate Western fightersUkraine received its first F-16s just a month ago, a milestone long sought by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Oleksiy Mes He was a strong and dedicated warrior, a first-class pilot, a leader on the ground and in the sky, a good friend, a loving son, father, husband and a patriot of his country,” the air defense said, adding that Mes He was commemorated at a ceremony on Thursday and posthumously awarded the rank of colonel. Nicknamed “Moonfish,” the deceased pilot was one of the public faces in Ukraine’s campaign to acquire the Lockheed Martin-made planes. Together with another pilot, “Juice,” Mes had traveled to Washington to advocate Ukraine’s idea of acquiring the planes that kyiv said would be a crucial asset in its fight to repel Moscow’s invasion.
The death of one of Ukraine’s best fighter pilots, as well as one of its few prized F-16 aircraft, It is a hard blow for the country, Ukraine is trying to gain momentum against Russia. Ukraine had been lobbying the West for the expensive and powerful jets, and until this summer had only obtained a small number of them.
Ukraine and the United States are already jointly investigating the crash of the American F-16 on Ukrainian territory on Monday, The head of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mikola Oleshchuk, announced on his social networks on Friday. “I assure you that a detailed analysis is already being carried out, an investigation is underway,” Oleshchuk wrote on his Telegram account, saying that he had received a “preliminary report” on what happened from the United States.
The United States has not directly provided any of the aircraft to Ukraine or committed to doing so, but it did approve the transfer by NATO allies after long blocking it. The U.S. Air Force says The planes cost between 14 and 18 million dollars, depending on the exact model, The Washington Post reports.