One of Western-donated F-16 jets crashes in Ukraine amid Russian attacks

One of the handful of F-16 warplanes that Ukraine has received from its Western partners to help fight Russian aggression has crashed, Ukraine's Army General Staff has said.

The pilot died.

The fighter jet went down on Monday when Russia launched a major missile and drone barrage at Ukraine, a military statement posted on Facebook said on Thursday. Four of those Russian missiles were shot down by F-16s, the statement said.

The crash was the first reported loss of an F-16 in Ukraine, where they arrived at the end of last month. At least six of the warplanes are believed to have been delivered.

The Defence Ministry has opened an investigation into the crash.

Earlier on Thursday, Russia conducted a heavy aerial attack on Ukraine for the third time in four days, again launching missiles and scores of drones that mostly were intercepted, Ukraine's air force said.

Russian forces fired five missiles and 74 Shaheed drones at Ukrainian targets, an air force statement said. Air defences stopped two missiles and 60 drones, and 14 other drones presumably fell before reaching their target, it said.

Authorities in the capital, Kiev, said debris of destroyed drones fell in three districts of the city, causing minor damage to civilian infrastructure but no injuries.

F-16 jet supplies

Russia’s relentless and unnerving long-range strikes on civilian areas have been a feature of the war since it attacked its neighbour in February 2022.

Belgium, Denmark the Netherlands and Norway — all NATO members — have committed to providing Ukraine with more than 60 of the planes. That number is dwarfed by the Russian jet fighter fleet, which is around 10 times larger.

Ukraine needs at least 130 F-16 fighter jets to neutralise Russian air power, Kiev officials say.

US officials told The Associated Press at the end of last month that the first of a batch of F-16s promised by European countries had arrived in Ukraine.

Military analysts have said their arrival won’t be a game-changer in the war, given Russia’s massive air force and sophisticated air defence systems. But Ukrainian officials welcomed them as offering an opportunity to hit back at Russia’s air superiority.

Ukraine has until now been using Soviet-era warplanes, and its pilots underwent intense training on the F-16s in the West for months.

The usual training period is three years.

US President Joe Biden granted authorisation in August 2023 for the US-built warplanes to be sent to Ukraine. That came after months of pressure from Kiev and internal debate in the US administration where officials feared the move could escalate tensions with the Kremlin.

The F-16s can fly up to twice the speed of sound and have a maximum range of more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometres).

They can also fire modern weapons used by NATO countries.