NYT: F-16 In Ukraine Could Have Been Shot Down By Patriot Friendly Fire
2- 31.08.2024, 9:58
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The investigation also allows for other reasons for the crash.
The F-16 aircraft that Ukraine lost during a massive attack by the Russian Federation on August 26 could have been shot down by friendly fire.
There are indications that the aircraft was hit by a Patriot missile, The New York Times wrote on Friday, August 30, citing a Western official briefed on the preliminary investigation.
The investigation also allows for other reasons for the crash — mechanical failures or pilot error, the publication notes.
The F-16 crash could have led to the dismissal of the head of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, whose resignation was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky the day after the F-16 crash was confirmed.
Military experts note that the likelihood of friendly fire incidents increases especially during massive attacks using missiles and drones, the NYT writes.
“Keeping track of who’s good and who’s bad, especially when there are missiles flying around at the same time, is difficult,” said Mark Kansian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.
Ukraine lost the jet just weeks after receiving its first F-16s, a move that the Times writes is “a significant blow to Ukraine’s efforts” to integrate the jets and convince NATO allies that the country can effectively handle sophisticated Western weapons.
Oleksiy Mes, who died in the crash, was one of about a dozen Ukrainians who had undergone an accelerated training program, an element of added risk, experts say.
Analysts also note that while the loss of the jet is a setback, fighter jet crashes are common, even during peacetime training missions. The impact of the tragedy on Ukraine’s overall war effort is likely to be minor, the Times notes.
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