One of Kiev's US-made F-16s crashes in Ukraine; 'pilot error' blamed
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The crash is a severe setback for Kiev, who for months demanded the planes until Biden eventually gave the green light for European countries to transfer the aircraft last year.
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Ukrainian Air Force F-16 fighter jets fly in an undisclosed location over Ukraine. (AP)
A US-made F-16 fighter plane crashed in Ukraine on Monday, according to a US official, barely weeks after the first American-made aircraft landed in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported.
According to initial accounts, the plane was not shot down by Russia, despite the fact that the incident happened during a large Russian missile blitz over the nation on Monday, the official added. Rather, the crash was blamed on a "pilot error".
Ukraine utilized the planes for the first time in action to fire down Russian missiles during this week's strikes, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ukrainian Air Force declined to confirm the incident or the pilot's situation, while the Pentagon sent queries to the Ukrainian Air Force for a response.
The crash is a severe setback for Kiev, who for months demanded the planes until Biden eventually gave the green light for European countries to transfer the aircraft last year.
Kiev expects that the modern Western aircraft would offer its forces an advantage on the battlefield, notably by shooting down incoming Russian missiles and protecting troops on the front lines. However, they are vulnerable to Russian air defense missiles and provide a valuable target for Moscow's military.
On August 4, Zelensky claimed that the first batch of the promised 80 F-16s had landed in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force would not disclose specific numbers, but a second US source claimed six aircraft had arrived and Ukraine had six pilots qualified to fly them.
In early August, Politico reported that Western efforts to train Ukrainian pilots to fly advanced F-16 jets are being hampered by the service members’ poor English language skills.
According to sources, of Ukraine's 32 pilots, only 8 had enough English proficiency to partake in a future training program.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in July that Russia will consider the presence of F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine sent from the West as a "nuclear" threat due to their capacity to carry atomic weapons, therefore representing a direct threat to Russia.
"Russia cannot ignore the ability of these aircraft to carry nuclear weapons. No amount of assurances will help here," Lavrov was quoted as saying by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
