Ukraine begged for F-16 jets, “This wonder weapon the will push Russia outta Ukraine” NaTo gives a few, pilot crash on first mission…

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Ukrainian pilot killed in crash flying F-16 fighter jet gifted from Nato allies

Now this was the first story published, the plane was shot down…

“One of the F-16 fighter jets sent from Nato allies to Ukraine has been destroyed, a Ukrainian military source has told the BBC. The aircraft went down amid a barrage of Russian missiles on Monday, killing pilot Oleksiy Mes after he destroyed three cruise missiles and one drone in Russia's largest aerial attack to date, Ukraine's military said. It marks the first loss of its kind since the planes were delivered earlier this month”

 

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Then they said the plane had technically issues, because they are old or something like that…


Then maybe it was friendly fire

Ukraine F-16 News: Crash May Have Been Friendly Fire - Newsweek​

A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet may have been brought down by Ukraine's own air defense in a case of friendly fire, a source in the country's air force told Voice of America's (VOA) Ukrainian service.

Kyiv said the F-16 crashed on Monday during a mission to repel Russian missiles, confirming the first loss of one of the U.S.-made fighter jets since their delivery to Ukraine was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The pilot, lieutenant colonel Oleksii Mes, was killed in the crash, Ukraine's Army General Staff said on Thursday.

A Belgian F-16 jet fighter takes part in the NATO Air Nuclear drill "Steadfast Noon" (its regular nuclear deterrence exercise) at the Kleine-Brogel air base in Belgium on October 18, 2022. A Ukrainian F-16 fighter...KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images
Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets were used during a missile and drone barrage launched by Russia, the General Staff said, adding that the aircraft "demonstrated their high efficiency" and "four enemy cruise missiles were shot down by airborne weapons."

"During the approach to the next target with one of the planes... the plane crashed, the pilot died," it said.

Ukraine is considering the possibility that the F-16 crash was caused by friendly fire, the unnamed source in Ukraine's air force said, adding that an investigation is ongoing into the incident.

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"Various versions are being considered, including 'friendly fire' from our own air defense, a technical malfunction, and pilot error," the source told the VOA on the condition of anonymity. "However, the exact causes will only be known after the investigation is completed."

Newsweek has contacted Ukraine's Foreign Ministry for comment by email.

Ukraine's Air Command Zakhid said pilot Mes was killed "defending our country."

"He heroically fought his last battle in the sky. On August 26, while repelling a massive Russian combined missile and drone attack, Oleksii destroyed three cruise missiles and one attack UAV. Oleksii saved Ukrainians from deadly Russian missiles. Unfortunately, at the cost of his own life," the command said.

Zelensky had long called on his Western allies to provide his military with the advanced fighter jets to assist in the war against Russia, now in its third year.

In July, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ukraine's allies in NATO had started transferring the U.S.-manufactured jets to Ukraine. He said they would be "flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression."

F-16s were spotted earlier this month over the front line in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, according to Pavlo Filipchuk, a Kremlin-installed official, who said they were flying above the Ukrainian settlement of Kakhovka "only to sow panic."

Zelensky had confirmed days earlier that the aircraft had arrived in Ukraine and were already being used by Kyiv's air force.

"I am proud of all our guys who have mastered these aircraft and have already started using them for our country," the Ukrainian president said. "F-16s are already in Ukrainian skies, and there will be more."

Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium had pledged to send more than 60 F-16s to Ukraine this summer but Bloomberg reported on July 12, citing unnamed sources, that this year Kyiv may get far fewer of the jets than it had hoped—six this summer and up to 20 by the end of 2024.

Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine had used F-16s to intercept missiles and drones launched by Russia.

Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Thursday that she was aware of the reports that the F-16 could have been shot down by Ukrainian air defense, but said she "can't confirm it."

"I don't have that level of fidelity right now. So, in terms of if this pilot was killed and it was brought down by friendly fire, that I just can't speak to. That would really be something for the Ukrainians to speak to," Singh said.

She added: "The United States has not been asked to participate in any type of investigation to look into this incident."

 

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Zelensky was so embarrassed he started firing people

Zelensky Raged: Ukraine Air Chief Fired Over F-16 Crash, US to Assist in Probe | Times Now World​

 

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Pentagon Doubts That Ukrainian F-16 Was Downed by Friendly Fire​

American and Ukrainian investigators are exploring other potential causes, including technical malfunction and pilot error.​

Kyiv Post

The Pentagon believes it is unlikely that the F-16 fighter jet that recently crashed in Ukraine was shot down by friendly fire, according to two senior US military officials speaking to The New York Times.

American and Ukrainian investigators are exploring other potential causes, including technical malfunction and pilot error.

The F-16 went down on Aug. 26 during a large-scale Russian aerial attack. The Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that American fighters were involved in repelling the strike alongside anti-aircraft missile units.

Communication with one of the aircraft was lost during the operation, and it was later confirmed that the plane had crashed, tragically killing the pilot, Oleksandr Mes, under the callsign “Moonfish.”

According to CNN, Oleksandr Mes and Andriy Pilshchikov, another pilot who died in a training accident in 2023, were prominent figures in Ukraine’s efforts to secure the F-16 fighter aircraft. Mes was among a select group of pilots trained to fly the F-16 in combat.

On the day of the crash, he successfully shot down three Russian cruise missiles and one attack drone and was attempting to intercept another target when ground control lost contact with his aircraft.

Earlier, an American official told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that pilot error was a possible cause of the crash. During training, Mes had praised the F-16, calling it a “Swiss army knife” capable of handling any mission.



The abrupt changes this week in Ukraine’s government raise a number of questions about the direction the country is heading.
President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Air Force Chief Mykola Oleshchuk Friday evening, Aug. 30, a day after Kyiv said a US-made F-16 fighter had crashed in combat, killing the pilot.

In a video message, Zelensky said he had “decided to replace the commander of the air force” to strengthen Ukraine’s military leadership.

At present, Oleshchuk’s role in Monday’s F-16 incident remains unclear. In an interview with CNN, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov clarified that Mykola Oleshchuk’s recent resignation is unrelated to the recent F-16 fighter jet crash.

“It’s a rotation,” Umerov explained.

Following the resignation decree, Oleshchuk referenced former Commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny in a statement on his Telegram channel.

“No matter how hard it is for us, we will definitely not be ashamed,” Oleshchuk wrote.

The crash of the F-16 was a high-profile setback for Kyiv, which had lobbied the West to send the advanced fighter jet for months.

It was the first reported F-16 loss, just weeks after Ukraine first took delivery of the supersonic aircraft.

WSJ first reported the loss of a Ukrainian F-16 on Thursday, citing comments from an unnamed US official, who alleged that the plane crashed due to pilot erro and was not downed by Russia.

The Ukrainian military later confirmed the loss, claiming that “communication was lost” with an F-16 aircraft when it was engaging aerial targets, and “as it turned out later, the plane had crashed, and the pilot was killed.”

Lawmaker Mariana Bezuhla, who sits on a parliamentary defense, security, and intelligence committee, claimed the F-16 was shot down by Ukraine’s own air defense systems in a case of friendly fire.

“War is war; such episodes are possible. However, the culture of deceit within the [Air Force Command], as well as in other senior military headquarters, leads to a deterioration in the military decision-making system,” Bezuhla said.

Her statement was met with outrage by some in the military, including former Air Force Spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat, who called for an official investigation into Bezuhla’s statement.

In response to those allegations, Oleshchuk accused her of trying to discredit Ukraine’s military leaders and said a full investigation into the incident was underway.

The Voice of America in Ukraine quoted an anonymous military official on Thursday that the staff leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is looking into various possibilities of the crash of a Western-donated F-16 fighter aircraft on Monday within its home territory, including the possibility of friendly fire from Ukrainian air defenses.

 

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Accelerated Training in the Spotlight After Ukrainian F-16 Crash​

Officials say that pilots had far fewer flying hours in the American aircraft than their Western counterparts​

Sept. 5, 2024 3:56 pm
Ukraine took control of hundreds of square miles of Russian territory, captured hundreds of prisoners and destroyed the Kremlin’s initial reinforcements. WSJ explains Kyiv’s biggest attack on Russian soil. Photo: Louisa Naks
A fatal crash of a Ukrainian F-16 on the first day the jet fighters were used in combat last week has raised questions about the rush to train pilots and deploy them into combat only weeks after they had arrived in Ukraine, according to U.S. and Western officials.

Ukraine’s air force still hasn’t determined the cause of the crash, which occurred during what Kyiv later described as the largest Russian missile and drone barrage of the war. U.S. officials say Ukraine has yet to find evidence the jet was shot down, either by friendly or enemy fire, or that a mechanical failure led to the crash.

 

[THREAD_CRITIC]

LOL old ass F-16 was never going to Push Russia out of Ukraine

 

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LOL old ass F-16 was never going to Push Russia out of Ukraine

True but his logic makes sense, they have no answer for them glide bombs. That’s what broke the will of them Ukrainians defending Avdiivka.

I’m looking for his direct quote.
But His statement reflected the answer below.


Why does Ukraine want F-16s specifically?


If Ukraine can protect its F-16s on the ground, the hope is that they could play an important part in pushing back Russian aircraft to a point where they can no longer target Ukrainian ground forces with glide bombs.Aug 4, 2024

 

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Zelenskyy: Ukraine needs 128 F-16 jets to compete with Russia in sky​

Daria Dmytriieva
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, responding to questions after his speech at the Ronald Reagan Institute in Washington, stated that Ukraine needs a minimum of 128 F-16 fighter jets to effectively compete with Russia in the sky.
"The problem with the F-16s is the quantity and the dates. But let's be honest. Russia uses 300 aircraft against Ukraine every day. We had a decision for 10-20. Even if we have 50 – it's nothing. We are defending ourselves, and we need 128. That's a fleet," Zelenskyy said.
He emphasized that Ukraine's allies are aware of this information.
"Until we have 128 aircraft, we will not be able to match them (the Russians) in the sky. It will be difficult," the president stressed.
On July 2, the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation issued a license to export 24 F-16 aircraft and seven aircraft engines to Ukraine. The first aircraft will be delivered "soon."
Currently, neither the Netherlands nor Kyiv plans to disclose the timelines for when the F-16s will arrive in Ukraine.

 

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At the time of his request, Zelensky want planes to keep these first two fabs from causing destruction in Ukraine.
The 3000 been recent updated ans tested in Zelensky troops. The 500 is getting new wings, so it travel longer distances

 

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First time the 3000 was used in June

 

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Washington is playing with the idea of sending some heat to Ukraine.

 

[Lexx Diamond]

They don't even deserve slingshots.

 

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They don't even slingshots

Lexx, what are you speak about?

 

[Lexx Diamond]

Lexx, what are you speak about?

Pardon me I left out the word deserve.

 

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Pardon me I left out the word deserve.

 

[World B Free]

Pardon me I left out the word deserve.

I agree, the Ukraine only exist in its current form because they suckling at the breasts of the United States.

 

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[Soul On Ice]

this title though

 

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Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham, who attended a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and a US Congress delegation in Italy on September 6, said that the meeting, among other things, discussed the issue of involving retired F-16 fighter pilots from NATO member countries in training Ukrainian pilots.

According to him, the priority of the discussions was the possibility of more effectively using the weapons supplied to Kyiv by Western countries, lifting restrictions on these weapons, and they also talked about attracting retired F-16 pilots from NATO countries. Graham noted that they "could train combat pilots and help Ukraine master the fighters" F-16.