Ukraine says US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed, killing pilot

Ukraine has announced that one of a handful of F-16 fighter jets given by its Western allies to fight Russia’s invasion crashed while repelling a major Russian aerial attack.

The pilot was killed in the incident, which took place on Monday after Russia launched more than 200 missiles and drones in one of its biggest bombardments of the war, reports AL JAZEERA.

It is the first reported destruction of an F-16 in Ukraine, and comes just weeks after Kyiv began taking delivery of the planes.

At least six of the aircraft are believed to have been delivered.

“F-16 fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were used to repel a missile attack on the territory of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, along with units of anti-aircraft missile troops,” the Ukrainian army said.

It added that communication with the F-16 was lost as the planes approached their next target.

“As it turned out later, the aircraft crashed, killing the pilot,” the military said.

The statement did not name the pilot, but a unit of Ukraine’s air force said one of its pilots, Oleksiy Mes, had died in a crash on Monday.