Ukraine is lost one of the F-16 fighter jets that were provided to it by its international partners. What is known about the first loss of a Western military aircraft?
Not even a month has passed since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the arrival of the long-awaited American F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine - and it has already become known about the crash of one of them. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army confirmed that this happened on August 26 during the coverage of a massive Russian missile attack. The pilot Alexey Mes died. What is known about the F-16 incident so far?
The fall of the plane was first reported by the American Wall Street Journal, citing officials in the United States. According to the publication, the plane was not shot down by enemy fire, despite the Russian missile attack, and the crash was rather due to pilot error.
Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh declined to comment on the details of the crash. And he did not confirm the information that the fighter may have been mistakenly shot down by the Ukrainian air defense complex "Patriot".
One of the versions: erroneous Ukrainian shelling
The version of a mistaken Ukrainian shelling was spread on Facebook by the Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuglaya, who recently left the faction of Zelensky's party "Servant of the People". She identified as the reason for the downing of the fighter jet "the lack of coordination between the units of the military" and accused the command of the Ukrainian Air Force and other representatives of the army of a "poor system for managing military decisions".
The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force Mykola Oleschuk did not confirm, but did not deny that the Ukrainian military is to blame for this. He assured that the reasons for the downing of the fighter will be established, that the investigation continues with the assistance of American partners.
"To clarify the causes of the accident, a special commission was created by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which works in the area where the plane fell," said in a statement of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army. At the same time, the "Voice of America", citing its own sources in the Ukrainian Air Force, reported that among the versions of the crash, erroneous fire by Ukrainian air defenses, a technical malfunction of the plane and pilot error were considered.
Nikolay Oleschuk, for his part, accused Bezuglaya of discrediting the Ukrainian Air Force and American arms manufacturers. "You have again given bread to enemy propaganda and are breaking all records on Russian television! All of Russia applauds you!", wrote the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, addressing the deputy.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that the pilot Alexei Mes destroyed three cruise missiles and one combat drone in the air. "Yes, on August 26, the day of the largest shelling of Ukraine, we lost a trained pilot, we lost an F-16, but we have not lost our humanity and faith in victory," commented Oleschuk, calling Alexey Mes one of the best Ukrainian fighter pilots.
Meanwhile, Zelensky fired Oleschuk on the evening of August 30. "Infinite thanks to our military pilots, engineers, soldiers of mobile fire groups, air defense - thanks for the result to everyone who really fights for Ukraine. This is also necessary at the command level - we must strengthen. And to protect the people, to protect all our soldiers", the president said in his usual video address to his fellow citizens.
Airplane losses are not surprising
Experts from the American Institute for the Study of War note that the loss of equipment and aircraft during combat operations is not something exceptional. Therefore, it was expected that within the framework of the war, Ukraine would lose some of the military equipment provided by international partners. At the same time, however, analysts note: "Any loss of the already limited number of F-16s provided to Ukraine by the West and trained pilots will affect the ability to operate the F-16 in the near future as part of the air defense system and to support airstrikes on ground targets".
American aviation expert Chris Gordon is convinced that the Ukrainian F-16s will inevitably face the threat of falling or being destroyed. "I am sure that the F-16 definitely modernizes the Ukrainian Air Force, but in the end mistakes can be made anyway," he noted in an interview with DV.
Gordon added that the F-16 is not an invisible aircraft: "It is detectable by radar systems and can be detected in the sky."