In August 2024, Ukraine lost one of its F-16 fighter jets, marking the first loss of this type of aircraft since they entered service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to The Wall Street Journal, the cause of the crash could have been the absence of the Link 16 tactical data network on board the aircraft and in Ukraine's air defense systems.

Link 16 is a secure tactical information exchange system that allows various military units, including air and ground forces, to quickly share data on the positions of friendly and enemy assets. It helps pilots avoid missile and drone attacks by transmitting their locations to troops on the ground. However, when the F-16s arrived in Ukraine, the Biden administration hid this important technology that allows air defense systems to distinguish between friendly and hostile aircraft. And on Patriot air defense systems, Link 16 was removed altogether because Ukraine was not expected to receive F-16s so quickly.

As a result, Ukrainian air defense systems failed to correctly identify their aircraft, which led to its destruction by its own Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. Ukraine has not officially reported the incident, but sources point to the possibility of "friendly fire" as the cause of the crash.

The absence of the Link 16 system on Ukrainian F-16s and in air defense systems significantly reduces the effectiveness of interaction between various units and increases the risk of such incidents. Link 16 ensures the prompt exchange of information between aircraft, ground forces and other elements of the combat system, which allows for coordination of actions and avoidance of "friendly fire".

Experts note that without Link 16 integration, Ukrainian F-16s cannot fully utilize their potential. For example, aviation expert Konstantin Krivolap points out that Ukrainian aircraft were transferred even without the Link-16 system (a secure information transmission system).

"This system was simply removed. And this is a system for transmitting information between various sources and centers for processing this information. Well, that is, sources, it can be an Abrams tank, it can be an airplane, it can be a Patriot. If it is an F-16, then it is combined with this AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System - ed.). Then all this information is collected, processed, transmitted to consumers. The F-16 flies over some territory, sees some clusters or tanks there, transmits this information virtually automatically in the mode, if he has turned on this mode. And the platoon commander on the ground sees on his tablet that there is a target there. The artillerymen see this target and can hit it. This is possible, this system allows it", - notes Krivolap.

Additionally, the lack of Link 16 makes it difficult to coordinate between Ukraine’s F-16s and other systems, such as the AWACS airborne early warning aircraft. Defense Express editor-in-chief Oleg Katkov explains:

"Link 16 is not just about the F-16, and not just about aircraft in general. It is about the unification of all absolutely communication systems in general and about the information transfer protocol in general. A secure protocol for the transfer of information in online mode so that automated troop control systems can function."