One of F-16 fighter jets crashes in Ukraine - WSJ
Illustrative photo: an F-16 crashed in Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine).
One of the F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine recently received from its allies has allegedly crashed. The incident occurred on Monday, August 26, according to The Wall Street Journal and Reuters.
An unnamed American official told the agency that the fighter jet was not shot down by Russian army. The incident occurred during a massive missile strike on Ukraine.
Journalists clarify that the likely cause of the crash was a pilot error.
According to WSJ, the Pentagon has asked the Ukrainian Air Force to comment on these rumors.
The Wall Street Journal also, citing sources, reports that as part of the first batch of deliveries, Ukraine received six F-16 fighter jets.
RBC-Ukraine asked the Air Force for comment, but they could neither confirm nor deny this information.
Reuters, citing its own sources, writes that the cause is still unknown. There are two possibilities: a pilot error or a technical malfunction.
Background
A few days ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine used F-16 fighter jets to protect the sky during the massive Russian attack on August 26.
This attack was the largest since the beginning of the war— the enemy used 127 missiles and 109 attack drones.
As noted by the Ukrainian President, Ukraine was able to shoot down some missiles and drones with the help of F-16s.
Initial rumors about the arrival of F-16s in Ukraine appeared at the end of July. By August 4, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed this information and showed the received aircraft.
Training of Ukrainian pilots on the F-16s was accelerated. Typically, training in Western countries takes about five years, but Ukrainians were trained in less than a year.
