MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/. Kiev's loss of a third US-made F-16 fighter jet is a blow to the reputation of Ukraine’s Air Force, military expert Mikhail Khodaryonok told TASS.
On May 16, the Ukrainian Air Force announced the loss of an F-16 over Ukraine during a combat mission. The jet went down on a missions to "repel an air attack" due to an accident on board, with the pilot ejecting, according to Ukraine.
"Over such a short time, and this is a really short time, three aircraft are a lot. This is a very big reputational loss for the Ukrainian Air Force," Khodaryonok said.
According to the analyst, Kiev deliberately confined the announcement to general phrases, as it didn’t want to suggest the possibility that the jet could have been shot down by a Russian anti-aircraft missile or a long-range air-to-air missile.
He said the loss of the aircraft posed a risk to the reputation of the US as a manufacturer and exporter of the F-16, but not so significant as to take a serious toll on further shipments.
"The reputation of this machine is quite high. Of course, this is an unpleasant fact, but there is a line to buy this aircraft, and there is no end to it," he said. "So, yes, there will be reputational losses, but I don't think it will turn the sales of this jet upside down because the F-16, whether we like it or not, is one of the most successful light fighter jet projects."
Previous F-16 losses
On August 29, 2024, Ukraine announced the loss of the first of the F-16s that had been delivered to the country, without giving details of the incident. According to the its Air Force, the jet crashed. Lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya, a regular and vocal critic of Ukrainian military leadership, said it was mistakenly shot down by a missile from a US-made Patriot air-defense system, also transferred to Ukraine. This was followed by the dismissal of the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Nikolay Oleshchuk (put by Russia on a list of terrorists and extremists). However, Kiev insisted that his removal from the post was unrelated to the jet’s loss.
On April 12, 2025, Ukraine announced the death of an F-16 pilot, without elaborating. On April 13, the Russian Defense Ministry said the plane was shot down by Russian air defense capabilities.