Ukraine’s new F-16 fighter jet crashed Monday while repelling a heavy Russian airstrike, the military said. The pilot was killedUkrainian civil servants in Kiev said. He thereby confirmed the US media report. So it was an accident.
A recently delivered American-made aircraft has proven to be very valuable in the mission Four Russian missiles were shot downIt said. As the flight continued to the next destination, contact with an aircraft was lost. “It was an accident and the pilot was killed.”
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that the dead pilot was Oleksiy Mes, Moonfish calls. One of the first Ukrainians to train on the F-16 was He was buried today.
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According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine has deployed the jets When attacking for the first time in battleShoot down Russian missiles. The stricken country asked for the jets several times before President Biden gave the green light to European countries to hand over the US-made planes last year.
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F-16 fighter jets Promised to Ukraine – six delivered so far.
After Ukraine waited months, Zelenskyj delivered the first machines in early August. According to US data cited in the Wall Street Journal, it is Six ex-Dutch fighter planes. Additional jets are expected to be delivered from the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium and Norway.
Zelensky announced on August 4 80 promised F-16s Came to Ukraine. He did not give exact numbers. Apart from the machines, the training of the pilots who can fly them is also important. Very few Ukrainians are able to do this so far, while others are currently training abroad.
The advanced Western aircraft are intended to replace the country’s largely decimated air force, which dates back to the Soviet era. Specifically, they are needed To shoot down incoming Russian missiles and protect frontline troops from cruise missiles fired by Russian jets. (TRF with DPA)