Ukraine loses its first F-16 of about a dozen available
American and Ukrainian officials revealed to the Wall Street Journal that an F-16 fighter jet crashed during combat over Ukrainian skies – a significant development – which comes just weeks after an initial batch of about a dozen American-made aircraft crashed. was transferred to the Kiev Armed Forces.
“The pilot, Oleksiy Mes, died while helping repel a massive Russian missile attack on Monday, officials said,” the WSJ writes. “Initial reports indicate that the jet was not shot down by enemy fire, US officials said.”
The missile and drone attack was one of the largest since the war began in February 2022, hitting 15 of Ukraine's 24 oblasts, knocking out vital energy facilities nationwide.
The accident was confirmed late by the Ukrainian Air Force, after inquiries were also made to the USAF.
Given that Ukraine lost one of its $30 million-plus jets so quickly after securing its first highly anticipated transfer, this could prove highly embarrassing, given that the program had been publicly touted as a “game changer” by Ukraine officials. Zelensky government.
Other more realistic external observers have observed that it is too late for these air systems to significantly change Russia's clear military, manpower and air superiority. Then a lot depends on how these are used. Six to ten fighters have minimal impact on the war.
According to US Defense Officials; during Monday's Large-Scale Russian Missile Attack against Ukraine, a F-16 with the Ukrainian Air Force crashed in the West of the Country, resulting in the Death of its Pilot, known by his Callsign “Moonfish” but by others as Oleksiy Mes. … pic.twitter.com/vUcvWslIQx
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) August 29, 2024
According to further details on the circumstances of the downing of the plane: “A person close to the Ukrainian military said that the cause of the crash is unknown and that an investigation is underway,” the WSJ continues. “The person described Mes as a hero who successfully shot down several Russian missiles on Monday before the crash.”
The report also indicates that the pilot was instrumental in helping guide Kiev's public relations and lobbying efforts to get Ukraine's F-16 program off the ground:
Mes, nom de guerre “Moonfish”, was one of the first Kiev pilots to be trained in the use of the F-16. He was one of the best-known Ukrainian pilots. He was one of the best-known Ukrainian pilots, often appearing in the media and traveling to Washington to pressure the United States to send jet fighters to Ukraine. Mes has personally met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including then-Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R., Ill.) in 2022.
Mes often appeared with another prominent Ukrainian pilot, Andriy Pilshchykov, nom de guerre “Juice,” who died in a training crash on August 25, 2023. Two other pilots were killed in that crash, a mid-air collision.
The WSJ also calls the accident and death "a hard blow for Kiev", after President Biden had given the green light, somewhat reluctantly, to the transfer of F-16s by European allies last year . A training program has been underway in Europe and on US soil for over a year, with Ukrainian pilots receiving instruction at bases in San Antonio and Arizona.
Thanks to our Telegram channel you can stay updated on the publication of new Economic Scenarios articles.
The article Ukraine loses its first F-16 of about a dozen available comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/lucraina-perde-il-suo-primo-f-16-della-decina-circa-disponibile/ on Thu, 29 Aug 2024 19:40:06 +0000.