Ukrainian F-16 Destroyed in Crash Just Weeks After Arrival

Pilot Oleksiy Mes, known as 'Moonfish,' is killed while defending against what is described as Russia’s largest aerial assault on Ukraine.

Amelia Walsh

Friday, August 30, 2024 at 10:55 AM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

An F-16 [Credit: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet crashed and was destroyed just weeks after its delivery, resulting in the death of pilot Oleksiy Mes.
The cause of the crash is disputed; initial reports suggested pilot error, but a Ukrainian military source disagreed, though it was not believed to be due to enemy fire.
Pilot Oleksiy Mes, known as "Moonfish," was one of only six Ukrainian pilots trained on the F-16, having completed his training in an accelerated six-month period.

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A Ukrainian Air Force F-16 fighter jet was destroyed in a crash on Monday, just weeks after the country received the American-made aircraft, The Wall Street Journal reported.

According to the Journal, earlier this month, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the arrival of the first of 80 F-16s in the country. While the Ukrainian Air Force didn’t specify the number of aircraft received, a U.S. official confirmed a total of six had arrived with six Ukrainian pilots trained to operate them.