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John H. Luckadoo, Last Pilot From a Storied Bomber Group, Dies at 103
As part of a unit known as the Bloody 100th, he flew 25 harrowing missions in his B-17 bomber over German-held territory during World War II.
A Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet went down in Zaporizhzhia Oblast during a combat mission on 11 September. The pilot, Major Oleksandr Borovyk, was killed in the incident. The cause of the crash remains unclear.
Su-27 fighter crashes during mission
The Ukrainian Air Force’s 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade reported that around 13:30, a Su-27 jet under the control of 30-year-old Major Oleksandr Mykolaiovych Borovyk crashed under unknown circumstances. The aircraft was performing a combat task in the Zaporizhzhia direction — southern Ukraine — when contact was lost.
The brigade confirmed Borovyk died in the incident. Ukrainian authorities are currently investigating what caused the Su-27 to crash.
Jet involved in strikes on Russian air defenses
According to Ukrainian military news outlet Militarnyi, Su-27 fighters of the 39th Brigade have been used actively during the Russian invasion of Ukraine for missions targeting Russian air defense systems with anti-radiation missiles. They also serve as carriers of precision-guided aerial bombs, including JDAM, AASM, and GBU-39.
The aircraft are also engaged in Ukraine’s air defense, intercepting Russian missile and drone attacks deep inside the country.
Second Su-27 loss for Ukraine this year
This marks the second Ukrainian Su-27 loss in 2025. In April, another fighter jet crashed while repelling an attack by Russian strike drones. That pilot survived after successfully ejecting.
