The Ukrainian Air Force has announced that a MiG-29 fighter pilot has died during a landing, but has not yet released the cause.
The Ukrainian Air Force Command said the incident occurred early this morning when Major Serhiy Viktorovich Bondar, piloting a MiG-29 light fighter, landed after completing a combat mission. “The causes and circumstances leading to the disaster are being established,” the agency said.
Ukrainian officials did not disclose the mission or condition of the MiG-29, but military experts said it was likely completely destroyed.
The landing site of the MiG-29 was also not released. However, Ukrainian media reported that Major Bondar was the deputy commander of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, stationed at the Vasilkov base in Kiev province.
Major Bondar, 46, was awarded a state award in June by decree signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for “courage in defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, as well as selflessly performing his duties”.
The MiG-29 is one of the main fighters of the Ukrainian Air Force, with about 50 in service before the outbreak of hostilities in February 2022. Many of the aircraft were shot down or destroyed by Russian forces at their bases during the more than 3.5 years of fighting. Ukraine has received nearly 30 MiG-29s of various types from Poland and Slovakia to compensate for the losses.
The MiG-29 is a 4th generation light fighter developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and put into service in 1982, with a maximum speed of 2,400 km/h, a ceiling of 18 km and a range of 1,430 km. The basic MiG-29 is equipped with a 30mm GSh-30-1 cannon, 7 weapon hardpoints and auxiliary fuel tanks, and can carry up to 3.5 tons of weapons including R-27 and R-73 air-to-air missiles, as well as a variety of bombs and rockets.
In addition to the mission of intercepting cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the Ukrainian MiG-29 squadron was also modified by the US to carry JDAM-ER guided bombs and AGM-88B HARM anti-radar missiles to attack enemy ground targets.