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topicnews · September 1, 2024

First F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine war crashes – investigation underway

First F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine war crashes – investigation underway

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From: Nils Hinsberger

Ukraine has received several F-16 fighter jets from the West. Now the first plane has crashed – a setback in the war against Russia.

Kiev – The crash of an F-16 fighter jet in the Ukraine war raises questions. On Thursday (29 August), the Ukrainian army announced via Telegram that one of the US fighter jets had crashed while defending against Russian air strikes. “When approaching the next target, communication with one of the aircraft was lost,” the army announced. It was only later that it became known that the F-16 fighter jet had crashed.

Pilot dies in F-16 fighter jet crash in Ukraine war – “Friendly fire” named as possible cause

The pilot of the F-16 fighter jet is said to have died in the crash. Oleksij Mes, also known under the pseudonym “Moonfish”, is said to have destroyed “three cruise missiles and an attack drone” before his fatal crash. Mes is said to have CNN in the USA pushed for the delivery of the aircraft.

The investigation into the crash of the F-16 fighter jet is currently still ongoing, the Ukrainian Air Force told Voice of America reported. “Various versions are being considered,” said a spokesman. “Including friendly fire from our air defense systems, a technical malfunction and pilot error. The exact cause will only be known once the investigation is complete.”

Volodymyr Selenskyj in front of an F-16 fighter jet. Ukraine hopes that the jets will give it an advantage in the war against Russia. © Efrem Lukatsky/dpa

“Friendly fire” refers to the unintentional attack on units of one’s own army. It also seems possible that Ukraine could have shot down its own F-16 fighter jet. Whether this was possibly such a serious mistake is now being investigated with the help of a specially created commission, such as the WashingtonPost reported.

F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine war: Lack of pilots in the fight against Russia

Ukraine recently promised that the F-16 fighter jets would enable it to better defend itself against massive Russian missile attacks. After the government under Volodymyr Zelenskyj received the fighter jets, the president wrote on X: “We have made possible what was our ambition and our defense need, and now the F-16 is really a reality, a reality in our airspace.”

Some American soldiers were trained in the USA to use the F-16 fighter jets supplied from the West. But the country attacked by Russia still lacks pilots trained in the use of the F-16. By the end of the year, the army could have just 20 pilots ready for action.

According to the report, the loss of an F-16 pilot is a serious setback for the ability to defend itself in the war against the troops of Russian ruler Vladimir Putin. Even though more pilots are in training, the training program will last at least “several months,” as the magazine Flight Review reported. The training normally takes six months.

F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine – aircraft may also be used in Russia during the Ukraine war

Many weapons systems supplied from the West were subject to strict conditions. For example, Russian troops are not currently allowed to use US long-range weapons against Russian territory. However, as the Pentagon has now announced, a meeting between the US Secretary of Defense and his Australian counterpart Rustem Umrejow will clarify whether this ban must continue to be observed.

How CNN reported that Umrejow wanted to present a list of possible targets in Russia. The aim was to “concretely convince the White House to abandon efforts to launch long-range weapons attacks on Russian territory,” quoted CNN an unnamed Ukrainian official.

For the F-16 fighter jets, these operational restrictions may only apply in part. In an interview with the Dutch broadcaster NOS The commander of the Dutch armed forces said that they had not envisaged “any restrictions on the use and range of the F-16”. The prerequisite for this was that the laws of war were observed. The Netherlands, together with Denmark, Belgium and Norway, are supplying the fighter jets to Ukraine. (nhi)

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