Ukraine loses another F-16 fighter jet

WORLD, May 17 (YPA) -Ukraine lost an F-16 fighter jet on Friday morning after an incident on board, though the pilot ejected safely, the Ukrainian air force said in a statement.

“According to preliminary data… an unusual situation arose on board. The pilot moved the aircraft away from the settlement and successfully ejected,” it said on the Telegram messenger.

The air force said the pilot was feeling fine.

It noted that the crash does not appear to have been caused by Russian fire, and a committee has been assigned to investigate all the circumstances surrounding the incident.

This is the third F-16 crash since Kiev began receiving them from United States allies last year under a program approved by former US President Joe Biden’s administration.

In late August, an F-16 crashed, and its pilot was killed while responding to a large Russian air raid. Kyiv also announced the death of a pilot flying an F-16 during a mission in mid-April, and Moscow later confirmed the downing of the jet.

Ukraine has not disclosed the number of F-16s it has received so far, but it is primarily using them to counter Russian missiles and drone attacks.

@E.Y.M