The pilot of the MiG-29 was forced to eject from his fighter jet after being damaged by shrapnel following the explosion of the Shahed-136 “kamikaze” drone, the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation said.
A MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jet of the Ukrainian Air Force crashed after competing for an Iranian-made Shahed-136 kamikaze drone in the Vinnytsia region on October 12. Ukrainian officials claim that a Ukrainian MiG-29 Fulcrum pilot shot down five Shahed-136s and two cruise missiles of an undisclosed type before being forced to eject from his fighter jet.
“According to one version of the investigation, near Turbov, during the destruction of another object, debris from an enemy drone shot down entered the cockpit of a Ukrainian plane.” The State Department said in a statement on Friday.
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In one release also noted that the pilot maneuvered the fighter jet into the scene to avoid large-scale destruction and civilian casualties. He managed to eject and was hospitalized in a stable condition.
The Iran-supplied Shahed-136 is a wandering drone or kamikaze developed and manufactured entirely by the Iranian defense industry. It was announced in December 2021 in a video reportage by Iranian television.
Shahed-136, also known as Heran 2, has a length of 3.5 m, a wingspan of 2.5 m and a weight of 200 kg. This drone is equipped with an explosive warhead and can fly at a range of up to 2,500 km with a top speed of 185 km/h.
