Ukraine loses US-made F-16 fighter, pilot ejects safely

Ukraine's air force on Friday said that it lost its US-made F-16 fighter jet, giving a significant blow to Ukrainian forces fighting against Russia.

F-16 has played a key role in Ukraine’s air defense against Russian incursion.

Ukraine’s air force said it on its official Telegram channel that it lost contact with the F-16 early Friday during a manoeuvre to repel a Russian attack. "The pilot destroyed three air targets and was working on the fourth, using an aircraft gun" when "an emergency situation arose on board".

However, the pilot ejected safely, the air force said, adding that a commission has been appointed to investigate the crash.

This is the second confirmed loss of Ukraine’s F-16, the first being in August 2024 when Kyiv said that an F-16 had crashed while repelling a Russian missile attack, killing its pilot.

In April 2025, Russia claimed downing an F-16. Ukraine did not confirm, but said pilot Pavlo Ivanov was killed during a combat mission.

This is a blow for Ukraine, which has relied on F-16s to intercept missiles and engage Russian aircraft.

Meanwhile, Russia has continued its offensive, deploying 112 drones overnight, of which 73 were shot down and 36 were lost from radar without inflicting any damage.