General Staff: F-16 Crashes While Repelling Russian Air Attack on Ukraine

29 August, 2024 F-16 fighter jet of the Ukrainian Air Force. August 2024. Photo credits: Office of the President of Ukraine

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirms the crash of an F-16 fighter jet while repelling a Russian air attack. The statement was published on the Facebook page of the General Staff on the evening of August 29, 2024. "During the air battle, the F-16s demonstrated their high efficiency, shooting down four enemy cruise missiles with their onboard weapons," the General Staff said.

However, contact was lost with one of the fighter jets as it approached a target. "As it turned out later, the plane crashed, the pilot was killed," the General Staff added.

The Ukrainian General Staff announces the loss of an F16 and the death of a pilot.

29.09.2024

A special commission of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine was appointed to investigate the causes of the accident. Previously, several Western media outlets reported the loss of the fighter jet, citing Ukrainian and American sources. They alleged that the accident happened during a massive Russian missile attack on Monday, August 26.

On August 4, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the first fighter jets were already in Ukraine and showed them off at a secret airport.

Fly-by of a pair of Ukrainian F-16s. Freeze frame from Volodymyr Zelensky's video

The transfer of F-16 fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force has been a long process and was first officially mentioned in the Vision of the Air Force of Ukraine issued in 2020. Ukraine's F-16 multi-role fighter jets received Terma PIDS+ pylons with a missile attack warning system.

The Terma PIDS+ pylon on an F-16 fighter.

Photo credits: Terma

The MWS is important because it provides a vital enhancement to the F-16's self-defense capability, enabling the aircraft to detect and counterattack missiles in advance.