F-16 crash possibly caused by damage from Russian missile debris - Breaking Defense

As noted by Breaking Defense, missile interception missions involving fighter jets and air defense batteries operating together require precise coordination. According to many sources, this coordination is complicated by the fact that neither fighter jets nor ground-based air defense units use IFF in these operations.

In the early days of the full-scale invasion, when both the Russian and Ukrainian sides used the same aircraft, there was concern that one side's aircraft could be confused with the other. This practice of not using IFF was continued with the F-16s currently in service.

However, one version of the F-16 crash is that the fighter inadvertently flew through a cloud of debris formed as a result of the successful destruction of one of the Russian missiles flying at it. These fragments of the destroyed missile could have caused damage to the engine and other parts of the aircraft. This could have caused the F-16 to break apart and killed the pilot before he could eject.

According to Breaking Defense's sources, this version is becoming the most likely scenario, given that “earlier in the war we lost four other fighters to this same cause of airborne foreign objects disabling the aircraft.”

“There were two MiG-29s and two Sukhoi models lost in this way. It is very possible that this F-16 now makes it aircraft No. 5. The previous losses did not generate this kind of attention because they were not expensive, modern fighters in the class of the American jet,” the source said.

The newspaper noted that Ukraine usually gives a clear description of the reasons for the loss of aircraft, but there are several incidents when the description given is vague and corresponds to what the source described.

Because the F-16 is equipped with a wireless computerized FCS connected to a controller on the side of the aircraft, it requires a different, almost delicate style of piloting than the models Ukraine has previously had.

The newspaper writes that the lack of experience with the F-16 could have influenced the situation when a pilot not used to the intricacies of flying an American aircraft failed to react as he would have reacted to another aircraft.

IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) is a system used in the military to automatically recognize objects as “friends” or “foes”. It allows the armed forces to quickly identify their aircraft, ships or ground objects to avoid accidental attacks on their own forces.

The basic principle of IFF is to transmit a signal to which only a “friendly” object responds, confirming its ally status. IFF systems are widely used on airplanes, ships and other vehicles, which ensures safety in difficult combat situations.

The first loss of F-16s

In early August, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that partners had delivered the first batch of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. However, on August 29, the media first reported that one of the F-16s had crashed in Ukraine. Later, the General Staff confirmed the loss of the F-16.

According to The New York Times, officials in the United States believe it is unlikely that the F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine was shot down by Patriot fire.