Exclusive: Top Ukrainian pilot killed when US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed

By Daria Tarasova-Markina and Ivana Kottasová, CNN

Kyiv, Ukraine (CNN) — A top Ukrainian pilot was killed when a US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed on Monday, just weeks after the long-awaited planes arrived in the country, a Ukrainian military source told CNN.

The Ukrainian Defense Forces do not believe pilot error was behind the incident, the source added.

Pilot Oleksiy Mes, known as “Moonfish,” was killed in the crash while “repelling the biggest ever aerial attack” by Russia against Ukraine, said the source, adding that the pilot was buried on Thursday.

The crash is being investigated and international experts will be invited to participate in the probe, the source added.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s army said later on Thursday that several F-16 jets were deployed alongside anti-aircraft missile units to fight the Russian attack.

“During the approach to the next target, communication with one of the aircraft was lost. As it turned out later, the plane crashed, the pilot died,” the General Staff said in the update.

The death of the pilot is a major blow for Ukraine. The first F-16s only arrived in the country earlier this month and Moonfish was one of the few pilots trained to fly them.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that the Ukrainian Air Force used the F-16 to destroy missiles and drones launched by Russia on Monday, the first time any Ukrainian official confirmed the jets were being used in combat.

Kyiv waited a long time to get hold of the F-16s, and Zelensky has been asking its Western allies for the fighter jets since the start of the full-scale invasion.

But as with other equipment, Western countries hesitated before finally agreeing to provide F-16s. The Netherlands and Denmark pledged to provide them early summer in 2023, but it took another few weeks for the United States to green-light the transfer.

When they arrived earlier this summer, Zelensky said he and his government held “hundreds of meetings and negotiations” to secure the jets.

A group of Ukrainian pilots started their F-16 training in the US in the fall. While it can take years to get fully trained up to fly the planes, Moonfish and others had to do it in six months.

Ukraine is hoping the F-16 will give it a much-needed boost. The jets are multi-role: they can provide air cover for troops, attack ground targets, take on enemy planes and intercept missiles. With the right armament, F-16s could deter Russian fighter-bombers from approaching the battlefield.

Still, the jets are no silver bullet. Ukraine can use them to deny Russia control over the skies, but experts say their capabilities are inferior to the most modern Russian combat aircraft that would likely prevail in an air battle with the F-16.

Moonfish: Top pilot who lobbied hard for F-16

Moonfish and another pilot Andriy Pilshchikov, known by the call sign “Juice,” became the faces of Ukraine’s campaign to get the F-16s.

It was an uphill battle, but Juice and Moonfish pulled through it together. They were young and enthusiastic, spoke good English and were willing to fight to get the US jets into Ukrainian skies.

Flying the F-16 was their dream and when Juice died in a plane crash during a combat mission last August, Moonfish made it his goal to fulfill it.

Of the two, Moonfish was the quiet one: an aviation geek not keen on publicity. But when Juice died, Moonfish had to take his place. In a rare interview with CNN, he admitted that if Juice were alive, he’d be giving interviews.

A man of few words, passionate about his job, he had his emotions under control. A straight talker who knew everything about F-16s.

“Andriy was the ‘ideas man’ and the main driving force behind it all,” Moonfish said. “And I feel responsible to him for ensuring these planes arrive.”

Speaking to CNN while in training, he said it was necessary for him and other Ukrainian pilots to undergo a truncated version of the training. “We would have had a lot of time to study the jet completely in peacetime, but we do not have the time,” he said.

In a statement issued later on Thursday, the Ukrainian Air Force said Moonfish destroyed three cruise missiles and one attack drone on Monday, before he was killed in the crash. The air force said he was posthumously awarded the rank of colonel.

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This story has been updated.