Ukrainian F‑16 crash may be due to friendly fire from Patriot system
An investigation is underway to ascertain the causes of the Ukrainian F-16 aircraft disaster. Indications suggest that the aircraft may have crashed due to friendly fire from the Patriot system, reported the "New York Times" on Saturday, citing a Western government official. However, investigators are not ruling out mechanical failure or pilot error.
Military experts quoted by the newspaper claim that the risk of friendly fire becomes exceptionally high during mass missile and drone attacks.
Mark Cancian from the American think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said that tracking who is friend and who is enemy, especially when missiles are flying around at the same time, is challenging. He added that friendly fire is a significant problem - he added.
"NYT" reminded that the USA has supplied Ukraine with Patriot air defence systems, which include radars and mobile missile launchers and are used for defence against Russian military air attacks.
Ukrainian pilot dies in F-16 crash
Ukraine lost the first F-16 aircraft delivered from the West; the aircraft crashed in an accident last Monday. The General Staff of Ukraine confirmed the loss of the F-16 aircraft and the death of the pilot on Thursday evening GMT. The Ukrainian Air Force Command "West" stated that in the aeroplane crash that took place on Monday, 26th August, pilot Lt. Col. Oleksiy Mes, one of the six Ukrainian pilots who underwent accelerated training in the USA for piloting these fighters, was killed. Experts believe that the shortened training might pose an additional risk.
The communication informed that a special commission of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has been appointed to investigate the causes of the disaster and is already working at the site of the incident.
Just a few days ago, Ukraine received six out of the forty-five F-16s promised by European allies.
"The loss of one of just six F-16s delivered represents a significant blow to Western efforts to re-equip the Eastern European country with NATO’s most widely used fighter class, and depending on the circumstances of the loss potentially has significant implications for the future of these efforts," the Military Watch Magazine reads.
