Oleksii Mes

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Oleksii Mes
Nickname(s)Moonfish (Мунфіш)
Born(1993-10-20)20 October 1993
Shepetivka, Ukraine
Died26 August 2024(2024-08-26) (aged 30)
AllegianceUkraine Ukraine
Service/branch Ukrainian Air Force
Battles/warsRusso-Ukrainian War

Oleksii Mes (20 October 1993 – 26 August 2024) was a Ukrainian fighter pilot with the call sign "Moonfish" of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He died when his F-16 crashed while repelling a Russian missile attack, according to the Ukrainian military.

Biography

Oeksii Mes was born in Shepetivka on 20 October 1993.[1][2]

As of June 2022, Moonfish was the commander of a squadron of Ukrainian MiG-29 fighters.[3]

In August 2023, Moonfish started a training course in the United Kingdom with plans to eventually fly an F-16.[4]

Advocacy efforts

In June 2022, Moonfish visited the US with another Ukrainian pilot, call sign Juice, to lobby for F-16s for Ukraine.[5] They met with several US lawmakers and explained which modern weapons systems were needed most in Ukraine.[6] Sean Penn accompanied the pilots in some of the meetings, to amplify their message.[7] The pilots met with Adam Kinzinger in his office in Washington, D.C.[8] As a result, Kinzinger introduced the Ukraine Fighter Pilots Act to the United States House of Representatives on 17 June 2022. The bill was cosponsored by other congressmembers.[9][10][11][12]

F-16 involvement

After months of advocacy to ensure F-16s for Ukraine, Moonfish was among the first Ukrainian pilots to start F-16 training in the US. He gave an extensive interview to Ukrainian TV describing the process.[13] In the fall of 2023, his training advanced from a simulator cockpit to actual F-16 airframes.[14]

Death

On 26 August 2024, Moonfish was killed when his F-16 crashed while repelling a Russian aerial attack, according to the Ukrainian military. He was 30.[15][16]

A special commission from the Ministry of Defense has been established to determine the cause of the accident and is currently working in the area where the plane went down.

Ukrainian lawmaker Maryana Bezuhla has claimed, "According to my information, the F-16 of Ukrainian pilot Oleksiy 'Moonfish' Mes was shot down by a Patriot anti-aircraft missile system due to discoordination between units".[17][18][19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Захищаючи Вітчизну, загинув перший український пілот F-16 Олексій Месь «Мунфіш»". Новинарня. 29 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Уродженець Шепетівки загинув у небі: у засвіти провели пілота Олексія Меся". Сайт міста Шепетівка. 29 August 2024.
  3. ^ "F-16 мають замінити втрачені українські винищувачі". Ukrmilitary. 22 June 2022.
  4. ^ Ілля Нежигай (20 August 2023). "При відборі враховували вік, досвід та знання англійської: пілот ЗСУ розповів про навчання на F-16". Факти.
  5. ^ Johnson, Kimberly (27 June 2022). "Ukrainian Pilots Visit U.S. To Lobby for Fighter Jets". Flying Magazine.
  6. ^ McFall, Caitlin (24 June 2022). "Top Gun Ukrainian pilots push US for jets, senator says lawmakers will 'press the case' with White House". Fox News.
  7. ^ "Sean Penn helps Ukrainian fighter pilots lobby for US aid". MSN. 25 June 2022.
  8. ^ "The Air Force has selected a group of pilots to train with Western fighter jets". Militarnyi. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  9. ^ Gillespie, Maura (17 June 2022). "Kinzinger & Houlahan Introduce Ukraine Fighter Pilots Act". kinzinger.house.gov. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022.
  10. ^ Kinzinger, Adam (16 June 2022). "To authorize appropriations to provide assistance and training to Ukrainian pilots, and for other purposes" (PDF). kinzinger.house.gov (bill). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2022.
  11. ^ Kinzinger, Adam (17 June 2022). "H.R.8144 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Ukrainian Fighter Pilots Act". congress.gov.
  12. ^ Malyasov, Dylan (23 June 2022). "Congressmen introduce bill to train Ukrainian fighter pilots". Defence Blog.
  13. ^ "First Ukrainian Pilot on F-16 (TV interview transcript)". novynarnia.com. 29 September 2023.
  14. ^ Markina-Tarasova, Daria (20 November 2023). "A 'Swiss Army knife' for the skies: Ukrainian army pilot races to get to grips with F-16 jet". CNN.
  15. ^ "Олексій Месь "Мунфіш". Що відомо про пілота, який загинув на F-16". BBC News Україна (in Ukrainian). 30 August 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  16. ^ Kottasová, Ivana; Tarasova-Markina, Daria (29 August 2024). "Exclusive: Top Ukrainian pilot killed when US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed". CNN. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  17. ^ Ukrainian National News (29 August 2024). "MP: F-16 of Ukrainian pilot Oleksiy Mes was probably shot down by Patriot missile system due to lack of coordination" https://unn.ua/en/news/mp-f-16-of-ukrainian-pilot-oleksiy-mes-was-probably-shot-down-by-patriot-missile-system-due-to-lack-of-coordination
  18. ^ Gulf Insider (29 August 2024). "Ukrainian Army Shoots Down Its Own F16 Jet, Pilot Killed" https://www.gulf-insider.com/ukrainian-army-shoots-down-its-pilot-killed
  19. ^ Voice of America (29 August 2024). "Zelenskyy fires Air Force chief following F-16 crash" https://www.voanews.com/a/zelenskyy-fires-air-force-chief-following-f-16-crash/7766016.html
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