Ukrainian army sources informed the BBC that an F-16 fighter jet despatched by NATO allies to Ukraine has been destroyed.
The Ukrainian army stated the aircraft crashed on Monday amid a barrage of Russian missiles, killing pilot Oleksiy Mes. That is the primary such loss for the reason that plane was delivered earlier this month.
The Ukrainian army claimed that the reason for the crash was not a direct results of an enemy missile assault.
Pilots are stated to have destroyed three cruise missiles and a drone in Russia’s largest airstrike up to now.
“Olexi saved Ukrainians from a lethal Russian missile,” the Ukrainian Air Pressure wrote in an announcement on social media.
“Sadly, he did so at the price of his personal life.”
The assertion didn’t specify the mannequin of the plane concerned, however a army supply informed the BBC that the pilot was flying an F-16.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky formally confirmed on Tuesday that U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets have been being deployed to shoot down Russian drones and missiles.
This week, he requested allies to permit Ukraine to make use of long-range missiles to strike targets farther inside Russia.
Dutch Protection Minister Common Otto Eshelsheim confirmed that the Netherlands will present Ukraine with 24 fighter jets and extra weapons.
There can be no restrictions on their use aside from compliance with humanitarian legislation, he informed a convention in Washington on Wednesday, which means Kiev might launch deeper strikes into Russian territory.
NATO international locations have dedicated to purchasing about 65 F-16s since U.S. President Joe Biden first licensed keen European allies to ship about 65 F-16s to Ukraine in August 2023.
Ukraine’s F-16s work with a restricted variety of Western-supplied surface-to-air missile techniques, such because the Patriot and Nassam missile techniques already deployed on the bottom.
Additionally they assist defend towards Russian glide bombs—dumb munitions with pop-up wing kits and steerage modules that present standoff precision strike capabilities, just like U.S. JDAM munitions.
The destruction of the aircraft was a blow to Zelensky, who stated a aircraft can be delivered “Victory Plan” Report back to U.S. President Joe Biden subsequent month.
He additionally revealed that Ukraine had not too long ago efficiently examined a domestically produced ballistic missile for the primary time, however declined to reveal additional particulars.
