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NYT: Friendly fire unlikely in Ukrainian F-16 crash, say US military officials

NYT says US officials state friendly fire probably didn’t cause the Ukrainian F-16 crash last week. American and Ukrainian investigators exploring other possibilities, including mechanical failure or pilot error.

byYuri Zoria

01/09/2024

2 minute read

us sends cutting-edge aim-9x air-to-air missiles ukraine's new f-16 fighters fighter aircraft firing aim-9 sidewinder heat-seeking missile illustrative 800px-f-16c_fighting_falcon_fires_an_aim-9_sidewinder

An F-16 fighter aircraft firing an AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking missile. Illustrative photo: Wikimedia Commons.

NYT: Friendly fire unlikely in Ukrainian F-16 crash, say US military officials

US officials say friendly fire is unlikely to be the cause of a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet crash that occurred on Monday, according to a report by The New York Times on 1 September.

The F-16 was lost during a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine on 26 August. The pilot, Lt. Col. Oleksii Mes, successfully intercepted three Russian missiles before ground control lost contact with his aircraft. By the end of last week, the Ukrainian military confirmed the loss of both the pilot and the aircraft.

According to NYT, two unnamed senior US military officials stated that “friendly fire was probably not the cause of the F-16 downing,” and American and Ukrainian investigators are exploring a variety of possibilities for the incident, including mechanical failure or pilot error.

Ukraine loses first F-16 fighter jet in combat, exact cause yet to be determined

This new information contradicts an earlier suggestion by a Western official that the crash might have resulted from friendly fire by a Patriot missile battery. The claim was initially disseminated by a Ukrainian MP, Mariana Bezyhla, facing widespread critics, including from then Air Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk.

Following the incident, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised a thorough investigation into the crash and dismissed Oleshchuk.

During his visit to the US, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov denied any connection between the recent dismissal of Ukraine’s Air Force commander and the crash of a US-made F-16 fighter jet, describing it as a “rotation” and two separate issues.

The loss of the F-16 and its pilot occurred shortly after Ukraine had begun deploying the fighter jets in combat operations against Russia. The first F-16s arrived in Ukraine in late July or early August.

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