During the massshelling of Ukraine, the first F-16 crashed – WSJ

First F-16 fighter jet lost in Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal reports, citing an official U.S. representative, that Ukraine has lost its first F-16 fighter jet.

According to the American official, the aircraft crashed on Monday, August 26.

Initial data suggests that the jet was not downed by Russian fire, despite the incident occurring during a massive missile attack on August 26. The crash is most likely attributed to pilot error, according to the publication.

It’s worth noting that the Lutsk City Council reported the death of military pilot Oleksiy Mesia on Monday, who had previously participated in the program training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.

Additionally, it was reported that F-16 fighters were involved in repelling the missile attack on Monday.

Earlier, Forbes magazine mentioned that once Ukraine deploys F-16 jets in combat, it is likely to lose many of them. The publication urged the Ukrainian military command to use the F-16s primarily as interceptors against Russian bombers.