(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – The Ukrainian military has confirmed that one of its F-16 fighter jets, supplied by NATO, was destroyed in a Russian missile and suicide drone attack a few days ago.
Ukraine also confirmed that the F-16 pilot, identified as “Oleksiy Mes,” was killed in the Russian attack.
This marks the first confirmed loss of a NATO-supplied Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet in the Ukraine-Russia conflict since the aircraft arrived in Kyiv earlier this month.
According to the Ukrainian military, the F-16 crashed shortly after successfully shooting down three cruise missiles and a suicide drone launched by Russia against Ukraine.
“The F-16 fighter pilot who crashed saved Ukrainian civilians from a Russian missile attack,” stated the Ukrainian Air Force in a social media post. “However, the pilot was killed.”
Analysts describe the loss of the first F-16 fighter jet supplied to Ukraine as a significant blow to the country and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who had promised that the arrival of American-made fighter jets would bring “victory” in Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.
In less than a month since the F-16s arrived in Ukraine, the first aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, has been destroyed by Russian forces.
There are concerns that the Western-made F-16s supplied to Ukraine may follow the fate of other Western weapons sent to Kyiv, such as Abrams, Challenger, and Leopard tanks, which have failed to significantly impact the conflict despite initial claims that they would change the battlefield dynamics.
Additionally, the F-16s supplied to Ukraine are early variants that are no longer in use by their original operators due to their age.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that it has been using the NATO-supplied F-16s to shoot down Russian missiles and suicide drones in recent attacks.
Russia has launched over 200 missiles and suicide drones against military and civilian targets in Ukraine.
The exact number of F-16s currently in Ukraine’s possession is unclear, but NATO countries are believed to have supplied around 65 of these fighter jets to the Eastern European nation after receiving authorization from the United States.
NATO member state, the Netherlands, has reportedly supplied 24 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. — DSA