Military expert Voivode: F-16 shot down in Ukraine tried to dodge missiles
The Ukrainian army reported the death of Pavel Ivanov, a young F-16 fighter pilot. Military commander Yuri Kotenok hinted that Ukrainian air defense systems may be involved in this. Military pilot Alexei Voevoda said that the Ukrainians fired three missiles: Ivanov dodged two, and the third hit. Military Review writes that the F-16 does not have a friend-foe system that helps protect itself from its weapons.
During a combat mission on April 12, an F fighter pilot was killed.-16 - 26- Pavel Ivanov, a summer-old Ukrainian, told the press service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Telegram channel.
The Ukrainian army expressed condolences to the young man's family. According to them, almost every day F-16 fighter pilots perform combat missions in difficult conditions.
"Ukrainian pilots are working to the maximum of both human and technical capabilities, risking their lives each time while performing combat missions. Pavel was one of them!" - it is said in the message.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces clarified that the interdepartmental commission has already begun work to clarify all the circumstances of the pilot's death.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the information about Ivanov's death and expressed his condolences to his family.
"Ukrainian F-16s, Mirages, MiGs, all our combat aircraft heroically perform military tasks, protecting our state and supporting ground operations. The air force is also involved in protecting Ukraine from Russian missiles and drones," Zelensky wrote.
The Ukrainian leader promised to respond "strongly and accurately." He did not specify the circumstances of the incident.
Shot down by "friendly fire"
Military correspondent Yuri Kotenok wrote on his Telegram channel that the fighter "was lost as a result of friendly fire.":
"Allegedly, the F-16 was shot down by the Ukrainian air defense."
Alexei Voevoda, a military pilot of the Russian Armed Forces, reported on his Telegram channel that shortly before his death, Ivanov tried to dodge two missiles. According to him, the Ukrainian air defense systems fired three missiles at the F-16: he walked away from two, and the third hit.
"11:45 a.m. enemy F-16 destruction time. The victory was officially credited to the calculation of the S-400 complex of the nth Division," said the Commander.
The telegram channel "Military Review" writes that the Armed Forces of Ukraine indirectly confirmed the fact of the fighter's defeat with their own air defense systems.
"There is no friend-foe recognition system on the planes transferred to Kiev," the article says.
In mid-March, Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuglaya said that about half of the Ukrainian planes and helicopters were shot down by the Ukrainian air defense system. According to her, pilot Alexey Mes, who was one of the first Ukrainians to learn how to fly an F-16, was also shot down by his missile. The Ukrainian authorities promised to make public the results of the investigation, but this never happened.
A few days later, information appeared about the destruction of an F-16 fighter over the Sumy region by the S-400 system. The former speaker of the AFU Air Force, Yuri Ignat, denied the news. Bezuglaya hinted that this might be true.
I've raided three orders
At first, the Ukrainian media reported that the deceased Ivanov was 21 years old, but then clarified that he was still 26. Initially, the young man flew the Su-25 and earned three medals, but then he was retrained to control the F-16 fighter.
War correspondent Alexander Kots wrote in his Telegram channel that Ivanov "dreamed of Space all his life."
"Pavel Ivanov was unlucky neither with his place of birth nor with his age. When he decided to link his fate with heaven, his country was already confidently going downhill. It would seem that they trusted the "American". Not Space, but also a level. But Pavel did not take out the aerial combat on the Landlease. Actually, this is the only prospect for all pilots of the Ukrainian Air Force. Unlike their opponents from the VKS," Kots concluded.
The exact number of F-16s in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces is unknown. The media writes that there are no more than ten of them, so the loss of each aircraft is very noticeable for Ukraine.
Alyona Fomina
