On Thursday, August 29, 2024, the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, citing a U.S. administration official, reported that on Monday, August 26, a Ukrainian Lockheed Martin F-16 multirole aircraft crashed.
Photo: Ukrainian Air Force
According to preliminary reports, this was not a shootdown by the Russians or the result of friendly fire, but a pilot error. The Ukrainian Air Force and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense have not confirmed this information.
Earlier, however, the mayor of Lutsk, Ihor Polischuk, reported on his social media channels (Facebook and Telegram) that on Monday, Lieutenant Colonel Oleksiy Serhiyovych Mes (callsign Moonfish), a pilot of a MiG-29 from the 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade, was killed during a combat mission. He was also one of the first Ukrainians trained on the F-16 (together with Major Andriy Pilshchykov, aka Juice, they were ambassadors for the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine; Juice died in a MiG-29 crash on August 26, 2023). However, the information later disappeared from social media, but it had already been shared by many Ukrainian and international media outlets.
Ihor Polishchuk, the mayor of Lutsk, informed today that on 26 August 2024, pidpolkovnyk Oleksiy Mes died while performing a combat mission. He was a MiG-29 pilot from the 204 Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force. pic.twitter.com/xJjPLxHu3t
— The Military Watch (@MarcinRogowsk14) August 28, 2024
It’s worth noting that on Monday, there was a massive air and missile attack by the Russians, and the involvement of Ukrainian F-16s in air defense operations was confirmed on Tuesday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Among the targets was the Kolomyia airport in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, near the border with Romania.
Unfortunately, analysts confirmed the presence of F-16 aircraft at that location after a visit to the base by the Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, General Mykola Oleshchuk, based on publicly available photos and video on his Telegram channel on August 25, just one day before the attack. Russian sources claimed that the aircraft had been relocated there from the base in Starokostiantyniv in the Khmelnytskyi region.
Also on Monday, it was reported that the 68th Electronic Warfare Squadron of the USAF collaborated with Danish and Norwegian partners to enhance the combat capabilities and battlefield survivability of Ukrainian F-16AM/BM aircraft.
If the crash was indeed the result of pilot error, it could be the outcome of a too short and accelerated training course that Ukrainians were forced into due to the conditions of the ongoing full-scale war. The training was shortened to 8-9 months, whereas the full training cycle during peacetime according to NATO standards is 18 months. By the end of September this year, the Americans planned to train a total of only 12 pilots.
The delivery of the first F-16s to Ukraine was reported on July 31st of this year (unofficially, 6 units from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with more expected from Denmark, although according to some analysts, the aircraft presented are actually Danish).
So far, Ukraine has received commitments from four countries to deliver a total of 95 F-16s: 19 from Denmark, 24 from the Netherlands, 22 from Norway, and 30 from Belgium. Greece may soon join them, with reports suggesting that it plans to provide 32 aircraft.
The aircraft were also expected to receive American-made missiles and other advanced weaponry. Among these are medium-range AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, short-range AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles, and AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles, which had previously been integrated into Ukrainian MiG-29 and Su-27 aircraft and have been used in combat operations since August 2022 (although HARM missiles have not yet been observed on the officially presented aircraft as of August 4).
Exclusive: A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet was destroyed in a crash on Monday, just weeks after the first of the American-made aircraft arrived in Ukraine https://t.co/Ta0hLU2kdZ https://t.co/Ta0hLU2kdZ
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 29, 2024
Update
The Air Command West of the Ukrainian Air Force confirmed on its Facebook profile the downing of an F-16 and the death of the pilot:
“Oleksiy Mes, a pilot of the Ukrainian Air Force, died defending our country.”
“He heroically fought his last battle in the air. On August 26, during the defense against a massive Russian missile strike, Oleksiy destroyed three cruise missiles and one attack drone.”
“Oleksiy saved Ukrainians from deadly Russian missiles. Unfortunately, at the cost of his own life.”
“Oleksiy Mes was a strong and dedicated warrior, a highly skilled pilot, a leader on the ground and in the sky, a good friend, a loving son, father, husband, and a patriot of his country.”
“On August 29, he was bid farewell by fellow pilots, commanders and subordinates, friends and colleagues, and hundreds of ordinary Ukrainians.”
“A pair of MiG-29 fighters paid tribute from the sky to the fallen pilot. Oleksiy’s comrades-in-arms performed the flyover above the procession. By order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant Colonel Oleksiy Mes was posthumously awarded the military rank of Colonel.”
“We lost a reliable friend and a strong warrior. But we have NOT lost our strength, will, and desire to fight, to battle, and to win. In our just cause, we will avenge the enemy for everything and everyone.”
“Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes!”
The Ukrainian Air Force posted:
“Oleksii Mes’, a pilot of the Ukrainian Air Force, heroically fought his last battle in the skies.”
“On August 26, during a massive russian missile and air strike, Oleksii shot down three cruise missiles and one strike UAV. He saved countless Ukrainians from deadly russian missiles, tragically at the cost of his own life.”
“We will never forget you.”
Oleksii Mes’, a pilot of the Ukrainian Air Force, heroically fought his last battle in the skies.
On August 26, during a massive russian missile and air strike, Oleksii shot down three cruise missiles and one strike UAV. He saved countless Ukrainians from deadly russian… pic.twitter.com/Wwc0BiUThO
— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) August 29, 2024
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the loss of an F-16:
“Ukrainian Armed Forces’ F-16 aircraft were deployed alongside missile air defense units to repel a missile attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory.”
“During the air battle, the F-16s demonstrated high effectiveness, shooting down four enemy cruise missiles with their air-to-air weaponry.”
“While approaching the next target, contact was lost with one of the aircraft. It was later revealed that the plane crashed, and the pilot was killed.”
“A special commission from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has been established to determine the causes of the accident and is working at the crash site.”