Ukraine has lost its first F-16 just weeks after the first batch of the US-made fighter jets were delivered to the country.
The aircraft was destroyed during the massive long-range barrage in which Russia launched over 100 missiles and 100 drones at targets across the entire country, it was reported.
But anonymous US officials quoted by the Wall Street Journal said the crash was probably the result of pilot error and not enemy fire.
Lt Col Oleksiy Mes, a top pilot known by his call sign “Moonfish”, was killed in the crash, a Ukrainian military source said.
The pilot had played a prominent part in Ukraine’s lobbying of its Western allies for the jets, making the case for their delivery to politicians and the media.
The Ukrainian air force confirmed the death of the pilot in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
“He heroically fought his last battle in heaven. On August 26, Oleksiy destroyed three cruise missiles and one attack UAV while repelling a massive Russian combined air and missile attack,” the statement said.
The news that Ukraine has lost one of its prized F-16 fighter jets so soon after their introduction on the battlefield will come as a significant blow for Kyiv.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, confirmed this week that the jets had been used for the first time to intercept Russian missiles.
The country’s leadership had hoped the Western aircraft would give its forces an edge on the battlefield as the war with Russia approaches its third anniversary.
However, the death of one of Ukraine’s few F-16 pilots will hurt more than the loss of an aircraft. US officials say Lt Col Mes was one of just six pilots in the country trained to fly the F-16.
Mr Zelensky said earlier this month that a total of 80 F-16s would be delivered over the next few years, while more pilots are being trained to fly them.
The fighter jets can cost up to $60 million depending on the configuration and any potential upgrades.
However, The Telegraph has previously reported that many of the F-16s pledged by the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Belgium are not the most technologically advanced models.
It is unlikely they will be flown in combat operations close to the front line because of the risk posed by Russian surface-to-air missile systems.
On Thursday, General Otto Eichelsheim, the head of the Dutch military, said the jets delivered by the Netherlands were doing a “good job”.
He said Ukraine was free to use the aircraft in cross-border strikes into Russia. “We have no restrictions on that,” he added.
But given the conditions along the front lines and reliance on other governments to green-light the attacks this is unlikely.
The Netherlands has pledged 24 of its F-16s to Ukraine, and another 18 to a training centre in Romania that will be used to bring Ukrainian pilots up to scratch.
“Focus should be now on getting the pilots and technicians trained well,” Gen Eichelsheim said.
“We have the capability ready in Romania to train Ukrainian pilots. We will see now a shift from the older pilots that were trained on the MiGs that we have now converted to the F-16, towards young pilots that are coming out of the training pipeline.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine on Thursday urged Britain not to squander the momentum created by its invasion of Kursk, and to grant it permission to fire Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia.
Kyiv has ramped up its calls for the UK to drop restrictions on the long-range weapon since mounting its daring cross-border raid into the southern Russian frontier region.
The air-launched cruise missile, which can dodge enemy radar and precisely hit targets up to 190 miles away, is seen as crucial for targeting airfields deep inside Russia.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, urged its Western allies to take “bold decisions”, with both Britain and America so far holding back on granting permission to use the weapon more freely.
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