Ukraine warfare: ‘Mega expertise Juice’ amongst three army pilots killed in mid-air collision

Three Ukrainian army pilots, together with a “mega talent”, have been killed when two L-39 fight coaching plane collided over a area west of Kyiv on Friday, the air power has stated.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who’s counting on the swift coaching of crews to fly as much as 61 F-16 fighter jets, stated in his nightly video deal with that the three males included Andriy Pilshchykov, nicknamed ‘Juice’, “a Ukrainian officer, one of those who greatly helped our state”.

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Air power spokesman Yuriy Ihnat described Pilshchykov as a “mega talent” and chief of reforms.

“You can’t even imagine how much he wanted to fly an F-16,” Mr Ihnat wrote on his Facebook web page. “But now that American planes are actually on the horizon, he will not fly them.”

Ukraine’s prosecutor common’s workplace introduced a prison investigation had been opened into whether or not flight preparation guidelines have been violated.

“It is too early to discuss details. Certainly, all circumstances will be clarified,” Mr Zelenskyy stated.

The air power introduced the crash on its Telegram app. “We express our condolences to the families of the victims. This is a painful and irreparable loss for all of us,” it stated.

Speaking to Sky News in February, Pilshchykov mentioned his need to get behind the controls of an F-16 saying: “You could be a very skilled pilot, however with out the correct instruments, with out the correct {hardware}, you’ll be able to’t do something to do improve your chances [of success]. So you want these correct instruments to be actually lethal.

“The F-16 is the most optimal choice of not only quality but also quantity of the available airframes in Europe and even in the other countries.

“We have to get them in a short time and they need to be able to go.”

Mr Zelenskyy noted that the third Saturday in August is also when Ukrainian military and civilian aviation celebrate their professional day, and said the introduction of F-16s would mark a “new degree” for military aviation.

“This may even deliver civil aviation again to the Ukrainian skies, as it’s going to transfer us nearer to victory and supply Ukraine with larger safety,” he stated.

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Radio Svoboda shared video of blackened, mangled plane stays being faraway from a discipline removed from the frontlines on the village of Sinhury, about 90 miles west of Kyiv.

In the video, an unnamed man stated he heard an explosion within the air above a college constructing after which two planes falling in smoke and flames.

A girl described seeing two planes flying at a distance from each other then coming nearer and nearer to one another earlier than the crash.

Military analyst and former pilot Roman Svitan, in an interview posted by on-line outlet Espreso TV, stated the crash was “most likely” associated to formation flying.

He stated the usual distance was 50-70 metres however that generally planes flew virtually on high of one another at a distance of three to 4 metres.

He stated the L-39 is an assault plane and coaching airplane however that in formation flying, particularly at low altitudes, “there’s no time for ejection”.

Mr Zelenskyy provided condolences to the pilots’ households and added the nation “will never forget anyone who defended the free skies of Ukraine”.