The death of an F-16 pilot running missile defense shows how dangerous even the lower-risk missions are in Ukraine

Alternative missions for Ukraine’s F-16s would be close-air support (CAS) or suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses (SEAD/DEAD) missions.

But Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi previously said that he wouldn’t want the F-16s flying too close to the front lines, where they might become victims of Russia’s surface-to-air missile systems. He said that, instead, they would strengthen Kyiv’s air defenses.

That’s exactly what the fighter jets did on August 26, providing an extra defensive boost for Ukraine as Russia attacked the country with hundreds of missiles and drones in what was said to be the largest aerial bombardment of the war.

Days later, Ukraine acknowledged one of its F-16s crashed, killing its pilot, while battling Russian missiles during the attack. It’s unclear what caused the fatal incident — whether it was friendly fire, a pilot error, aircraft malfunction, or an enemy munition — but Kyiv said an investigation is underway.

Regardless of what caused the crash, though, the operating environment is undoubtedly challenging during such a massive attack, which involved a mixed Russian strike package.

Air defense might be safer than supporting ground forces, knocking out air defenses, or bombing heavily defended enemy positions, but “it’s not a walk in the park by any means,” he added.

Beyond the challenging operating environment, another potential complication for Ukrainian pilots is that the F-16 is still a brand-new capability for Ukraine, and last week marked its first combat endeavor.

Despite the many months of training the pilots received, it’s still an unfamiliar aircraft that is very different from the Soviet-era fighters they’re used to flying.

“I would think that would be a very chaotic environment anyway, exacerbated by the fact that you have a new aircraft and its first week of operation in that conflict,” Aiello said, adding that it’s inherently risky to fly fighter jets and also to operate them in combat.

“You’ve got an increasing level of risk when you’re doing both,” he said.