US-Made F-16 Crashes in Ukraine, Killing Ukrainian Pilot

The cause of the crash is unclear

A Ukrainian pilot was killed when a US-made F-16 crashed in Ukraine on Monday, CNN reported on Thursday, citing a Ukrainian military official.

The crash is a blow to Ukraine, which just received its first batch of F-16s from NATO countries a few weeks ago. So far, Ukraine has only received a handful of F-16s, and this is the first confirmed loss of one.

A Ukrainian official said the pilot, Oleksiy Mes, crashed while “repelling the biggest ever aerial attack” launched by Russia against Ukraine. The cause of the crash is unclear, but the Ukrainian military has described it as an “accident,” suggesting it wasn’t shot down by Russia.

A US official told The Wall Street Journal that the crash was likely a result of pilot error, but the Ukrainian official told CNN that Kyiv doesn’t think that was the cause.

According to CNN, Mes began training on the F-16 in the US last fall. While it can take years to complete F-16 training, Mes and the other pilots had to do it in six months.

Ukraine is facing a shortage of pilots who can operate the F-16s and has been frustrated by the limited number of training slots available in the US. US officials told The New York Times this month that 20 Ukrainian pilots are expected to be capable of flying the jets this year.

The officials said that two pilots are required per each deployed F-16. The planes are designed to be operated by one pilot, but they may require two for a deployment, so each pilot has relief available.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.