War in Ukraine
First F-16 fighter jet apparently shot down by its own Patriot missile
F-16 fighter jets of the Ukrainian Air Force in early August
© Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters
Kiev has lost the first F-16 with its pilot – according to the government due to technical failure. Ukrainian sources say that the plane’s own air defenses shot the plane down.
For a long time, the use of US F-16 fighter jets were being serviced. Now the time had come, but it ended differently than expected. On Monday, the planes took off to fight the waves of Russian cruise missiles. One F-16 was lost, with the pilot Alexey Mes on board.
Contradictory statements about the F-16
Officials claimed that there were technical problems. This information was immediately met with suspicion. Mes died, but in the event of technical problems it should be possible to eject from the plane using the ejection seat. Ukrainian sources, including MP Maryana Besuhla, have given a different explanation. According to their information, the F-16 was mistakenly detected by the plane’s own air defenses and shot down by a Patriot battery.
Besuhla said: “According to my information, the F-16 of the Ukrainian pilot (squadron commander) Alexey “Moonfish” Mes was shot down by a Patriot air defense missile system due to a lack of coordination between the units.” That would also explain the pilot’s death. Such mistakes happen. Nevertheless, the incident remains a mystery. The F-16 uses friend-or-foe recognition. Until now, it was assumed that only Russian drones and cruise missiles, but no fighter jets, were in use over Ukraine. The air defense had to assume that it was one of their own jets. Before his death, “Moonfish” Mes is said to have shot down three cruise missiles and a drone.
War dispels F-16 myth
In any case, the already small number of F-16s and trained pilots has been reduced. Of the ten machines currently available to Kiev, only nine remain. In addition, “Moonfish” was the face of the accompanying PR campaign. The loss of the aircraft demystifies the delivery of the F-16 to Ukraine. The F-16 is a good, operational jet and more modern than the old Mig-29s of the Ukrainians. But the machine is by no means an invincible wonder weapon. Similar to western-designed tanks, losses must always be expected when used in war.
The Ukrainians obviously know this. The few F-16s were not used to attack Russian territory, which would inevitably put them in the enemy air defense zone. The F-16s were used for defense. In the airspace over Ukraine, they do not have to fear Russian missiles. To fight them, the Russians would have to send their own aircraft on a risky mission. Their role in shooting down enemy cruise missiles strengthens the Ukrainian air defense because the fast aircraft can cover the gaps in the ground systems. The incident shows the problem of dribbling deliveries. Ten or nine aircraft are far too few. Although significantly more F-16s have been promised, they will not be delivered all at once.
Such recordings are dangerous
© X
Reckless video release
In addition to the shooting down, there was another glitch in connection with the F-16. In a video report, the machines were shown in a hall, including a short outdoor sequence. An unforgivable mistake. In this war, buildings were already identified by purely interior shots. Even details of the masonry and roof construction can give away buildings. The Russians are said to have attacked the hall afterwards. It is not known whether the machines were still in the building at that time.