Two senior US military officials and other sources now insist it is “far too soon to speculate”
Ukraine lost its first Western-supplied F-16 fighter jet last week but has yet to name an official cause of the incident, fueling speculation that the US-made aircraft may have been shot down by friendly fire from a US-made Patriot air defense system.
The plane crashed last Monday, killing one of Ukraine’s best pilots, Aleksey ‘Moonfish’ Mes. Kiev did not admit the loss until Thursday, stating only that the incident was under investigation. Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuglaya claimed that Mes had been shot down by one of Ukraine’s Western-donated Patriots. Following the incident, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky fired his Air Force chief without explanation.
An unnamed Western official allegedly briefed on the preliminary investigation confirmed to the NYT on Friday that there were “indications” the jet might have been brought down by friendly fire from a Patriot battery.
However, in a reversal on Saturday, “two senior US military officials” told the newspaper that the cause of the F-16 crash “was probably not friendly fire.” The sources added that American and Ukrainian investigators were exploring other possibilities, such as mechanical failure or pilot error.
When asked on Thursday if there was “any chance that this F-16 was brought down by friendly fire from one of the Ukrainian Patriot missiles,” Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh responded that the “United States has not been asked to participate in any investigation into this incident.”
The NYT also cited unnamed Ukrainian military analysts who claimed that Western air defenses and F-16s have been tested together in such “complex conditions,” but noted that it was “far too soon to speculate.”
Last Monday, Russia conducted a “massive high-precision attack” using long-range air- and sea-based weapons and drones, targeting energy facilities crucial to Ukraine’s defense industrial complex, as well as several airfields storing Western-supplied munitions.
Official statements from Kiev indicated that Mes died during an air defense sortie in which he shot down three Russian cruise missiles and one attack drone. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that at the time, besides the Patriots, Kiev also deployed multiple other air defense systems, including mobile groups with Stinger missiles and British Starstreak missiles.
A handful of the US-made aircraft were delivered to Ukraine earlier this month. The US has not promised any of its own F-16s to Ukraine but has permitted other NATO members to send theirs. A “coalition” of European countries promised Kiev over 80 planes but has so far delivered fewer than a dozen.
READ MORE: Ukrainian MP claims F-16 was downed by Patriot
Washington also expects its NATO allies in Europe to take responsibility for servicing the US-designed jets, as, according to the Wall Street Journal, the administration of US President Joe Biden has rejected a Pentagon plan to send American contractors to Ukraine out of fear they could be targeted by Russian forces.
A Russian company has offered a reward of 15 million rubles ($170,000) to whomever shoots down the first F-16 in combat. No one has stepped forward to claim the reward so far.
