Ukraine says US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed, killing a top pilot

A top Ukrainian pilot was killed when a US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed on Monday, a Ukrainian Defence Forces source told CNN.

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

The 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.

What asking me is that modern fighter aircraft doesn't have AI that prevents the pilot from flying outside a “safety envelope” where AI determines, based on speed, trajectory and the terrain/ground, that will lead to a crash. If the pilot goes into a steep dive the AI would force a turn that prevents a crash straight into the ground.

That's basically what Boeing had...

This is not the first time Ukraine has lost an airplane that was intercepting cruise missiles and drones. From Wiki:

On 13 October 2022, a Ukrainian MiG-29 crashed during a combat mission. Its pilot is claimed to have destroyed a Shahed-136 drone with his cannon, and it is believed the debris from the drone collided with the aircraft and forced the pilot to eject.
Ukrainian sources claim that the pilot shot down five drones and two cruise missiles shortly before the crash. The downed MiG-29 was wearing a livery similar to that of the Ukrainian Falcons display team.
According to the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation: "the jet collided with debris from a destroyed drone, which caused massive damage to it to the point where it crashed near a village in northeast Vinnytsia. The pilot managed to eject and is currently receiving treatment in the hospital.

I don’t know what happened, but I do know that he had a very dangerous job to do fighting for his country against the invading Russians.

Rest in Peace, Oleksii Mes. God bless you and your family and friends you leave behind.

Fair enough. I missed that post. My fault.

Sorry I jumped in without reading the entire thread I thought your response was the first one back.

I just hate finding myself at odds with people who should ostensibly be my allies, and it happens to me on occasion on this forum I really enjoy.

Lots of sharp elbows and sharp tongues lately, and I’m one of those who has them too.

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