On Thursday, the American newspaper “Wall Street Journal” reported that Ukraine has lost its first Western-supplied F-16 fighter jet. The aircraft crashed, and according to a U.S. official quoted by the paper, the incident was likely not caused by enemy fire but may have resulted from pilot error.
The Crash
The jet reportedly crashed on Monday, the same day Russian forces launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine. The next day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that F-16 fighters provided by Western countries had participated in defending against Russia’s most intense combined air assault on Ukraine. Zelensky praised the performance of the F-16s, stating that they helped shoot down several missiles and drones.
Ukrainian Air Force Response
The Ukrainian Air Force has not yet commented on the “Wall Street Journal” report. The command has stated that more information will be provided later. According to the Interfax-Ukraine agency, the aircraft that crashed was one of the six F-16s Ukraine received in the first batch. Ukraine currently has six fully trained pilots to operate these jets.
F-16s in Ukraine
In early August, President Zelensky announced that Ukrainian pilots had begun flying the F-16s, which were delivered to the country more than two years after Russia’s invasion began. According to the British weekly “The Economist,” Ukraine received its first ten F-16s from a planned total of 79 by the end of July this year. Kyiv is expected to receive 20 of these jets by the end of the year, with the remainder arriving in batches next year, as part of a coalition led by Denmark and the Netherlands.
Summary
The loss of the first F-16 is a setback for Ukraine, but these aircraft have already demonstrated their effectiveness in combat. Despite the crash, Ukraine continues to receive and integrate Western fighter jets into its air force, which could significantly impact the ongoing conflict.
