Giorgos Baltadoros, 33, a father of two children, and Defense Minister Panos Kammenos described him on Twitter as a “hero who fell defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

An official at the Greek Defense Ministry said the jet was returning from a mission to intercept two Turkish F-16 jets farther east, near the Greek island of Lesbos. The Hellenic air force said it lost contact with its Mirage 2000-5 jet at 12:15 p.m., while the aircraft was about 10 miles northeast of Skyros, an island near the central Aegean. Officials said the Mirage 2000-5 crashed Thursday north of the island of Skyros but gave information about the possible cause of the crash. However, sources from the Turkish Air Force Command told the Anadolu Agency that no Turkish jets were present at the time of the crash, and allegations that the Greek jet crashed after a dogfight with Turkish jets did not reflect the truth. The Hellenic Air Force said in a statement that authorities lost contact with the jet some 9 miles northeast of the island at 12.15 p.m.

Patrolling has intensified in recent weeks amid a spike in tensions between Greece and Turkey and near-daily mock dogfights in disputed airspace. The pilot’s death was announced by Defense Minister Panos Kammenos after Greek navy ships and army helicopters had taken part in the search for the pilot.
A Hellenic Air Force Mirage 2000-5F fighter jet crashes near the Greek island of Skyros in the Aegean Sea while intercepting a Turkish aircraft that had violated Greek airspace. The pilot is reported dead.