F-16 destroyed in crash in Ukraine on 26 August– WSJ

The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reports that an F-16 fighter jet was destroyed in a plane crash in Ukraine on Monday, 26 August.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Quote: "A Ukrainian F-16 jet fighter was destroyed in a crash on Monday, according to a U.S. official, just weeks after the first of the American-made aircraft arrived in Ukraine.

Initial reports indicate the jet wasn’t shot down by enemy fire, although the incident occurred during a massive Russian missile barrage across the country on Monday, the official said. Rather, the crash was likely a result of pilot error."

Details: Ukrainska Pravda reached out to Ukraine’s Air Force for comment. They clarified that information about the incident would be provided later.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that Ukraine used fighter jets in combat for the first time to shoot down Russian missiles in attacks this week.

Background: Zelenskyy announced on 4 August that the first of 80 promised F-16s had arrived in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force did not provide a figure, but a second US official said that a total of six aircraft had arrived and Ukraine had six pilots trained to fly them.

Support UP or become our patron!