Ukraine loses first Western-supplied F‑16 in crash, pilot dead
Ukraine lost its first Western-supplied F-16 aircraft; the plane crashed in an accident on Monday, the newspaper "The Wall Street Journal" reported on Thursday.
"An official said it appears that the incident was not caused by enemy fire and was probably the result of pilot error."
According to the official, the crash does not appear to be a result of Russian fire. It is still unclear whether the incident was caused by pilot error or a mechanical failure, wrote the Reuters agency.
Russia conducted a "massive" rocket and drone attack on Ukraine on Monday, said the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, followed by another large attack on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian Air Force has not yet commented on these reports. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that F-16 jets were used to repel the attack on Monday and performed well.
Zelensky announced on 5th August that Ukraine had begun F-16 flights for operations within the country, confirming that the wait for the aircraft was over.
Death of F-16 pilot
As a result of losing the fighter jet, Ukrainian Lieutenant Colonel Oleksiy "Moonfish" Mes likely lost his life. It is known that he had been training to fly Western aircraft.
The 31-year-old Mes was part of a selected group of only six Ukrainian pilots who completed an intensive training programme to operate F-16 fighters.
