The crash of an F-16 over Ukraine raises various questions. Even before a commission has investigated the incident, new speculations are circulating.
Kiev – An F-16 has crashed for the first time in Ukraine. The pilot was killed in the incident last month. Apparently, the pilot was chasing a Russian cruise missile. “I would like to say that the pilot who died fired two missiles and was chasing the third cruise missile with his on-board weapons,” General Oleksandr Syrskyi told CNNNo further details were given about the cause of the fatal incident as the investigation is still ongoing.
F-16 crash due to friendly fire from Ukraine? USA fuels speculation
In Kiev, speculation continues about the cause of the F-16 crash. According to Newsweek Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezugla, who sits on the parliament’s defense committee, said the F-16 was shot down by a Patriot air defense system. US defense officials also said that Russian fire did not appear to be the culprit and pointed to other possible reasons such as mechanical failure or pilot error. However, a commission of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry is investigating the case and, according to Syrskyi, will announce its findings shortly.
The incident has caused concern among the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was apparently the highest priority. After the crash, he immediately dismissed the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk.
Important tool in the Ukraine war: Kiev wants to deploy F-16 over Russia
Kiev announced in August that it would also deploy the F-16 fighter jets supplied by the West over Russian territory and is expecting new deliveries of the fighter aircraft. However, this seems to have left the Kremlin unmoved. The delivery of F-16 fighter jets by NATOAccording to the Kremlin’s assessment, the supply of aircraft from the Russian Federation to Ukraine will not have a significant impact on events at the front. “The number of these aircraft will gradually dwindle, they will be shot down,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “Of course, these deliveries will not have a significant impact on events at the front.”
Fighter jets for Ukraine: F-16 not a “magical panacea” according to Russia
“There is no magic panacea” that the Ukrainian Air Force could get, Peskov continued. Several NATO countries had promised to deliver the fighter jets, which Ukraine has high hopes for. The US-made F
-16 aircraft are considered to be particularly precise, fast and long-range.
In order to be able to stand up to Russia in terms of air defense, Ukraine needs around 130 of these fighter jets, as the Ukrainian president said in an interview with the AFP said. Kiev’s NATO allies have so far promised to deliver fewer than a hundred of these aircraft. Training of Ukrainian pilots on the fighter jets has been going on for months. (dpa/AFP)
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