Ukraine Confirms Loss of Western-Donated F-16 Fighter Jet, Death of Pilot

Last updated on August 29th, 2024 at 03:14 pm

The Ukrainian military has confirmed one of its U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets has crashed and one of its U.S.-trained pilots has died during combat flight operations this week.

In an Aug. 29 press statement, the Ukrainian military’s general staff announced it had recently deployed F-16 fighter jets to intercept incoming Russian missiles. The Ukrainian military reported they lost contact with one of the fighter jets as it moved to engage one of the incoming Russian missiles. The Ukrainian military said it subsequently determined that the fighter jet had crashed and the pilot had died.

The Ukrainian military provided few specifics about the cause of the F-16 crash, but said it has formed a special commission to investigate the matter.

The Ukrainian Air Force has since identified the deceased pilot as Oleksiy Mes. Some have referred to Mes by the call-sign “Moonfish,” including former congressman Adam Kinzinger.

A pilot by the call-sign “Moonfish” was featured in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) video published in January, highlighting the alliance’s efforts to train Ukrainian military pilots to fly F-16s.

The loss of an F-16-qualified Ukrainian pilot is a notable setback for the Ukrainian military, which has tried to rapidly adopt the Western-donated fighter jets into its fleet of aircraft.

The exact number of Ukrainian military pilots capable of operating an F-16 is unclear, but appears to consist of only a handful of individuals.

U.S. military officials announced the first handful of Ukrainian pilots graduated from the U.S. Air Force’s F-16 training course in May. At the time, Department of Defense spokesperson Maj. Charlie Dietz told Air & Space Forces Magazine that a “small number of pilots” had graduated the course, and some “additional” pilots remained in training.

In June, Politico reported Ukraine has been eager to send more pilots through F-16 school, but that the training facilities in the United States, Denmark, and Romania have had limited slots available.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently floated a proposal for NATO to allow Ukraine to recruit former F-16 pilots from member nations, to fly on behalf of Ukraine until the Ukrainian military can train up more of its own pilots. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) endorsed the proposal in an Aug. 12 press statement.

“Ukraine is already fielding units of freedom fighters on the ground, and this volunteer force should be replicated in the air,” the Senators said.