Ukraine expects its pilots to fly F-16s in combat this winter

The Ukrainian military leadership expects that its Armed Forces will be able to use F-16 fighter jets on the battlefield this winter.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Details: According to military officials in Kyiv, Ukrainian pilots might be flying F-16s in combat as early as this winter. This is a more optimistic schedule than prior predictions, and it could provide Ukrainian troops a substantial new advantage on the battlefield next year. 

As The Wall Street Journal reports with reference to Ukrainian and American officials, Ukraine believes that since American training will begin this month or next, several Ukrainian pilots may be ready to fly F-16s in February.

The United States can train experienced Ukrainian pilots who speak English in just five months.

At the same time, the publication notes that American officials were more conservative in their plans regarding the timing of the preparation of the F-16s for battle. They said that Ukraine would not be ready for combat using F-16s until at least mid-2024, possibly much later.

According to a representative of the US Defense Department, within the next several weeks, dozens of Ukrainian pilots will start their English language lessons at the Defense Language Institute English Language Center at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio,Texas. According to a US defence official, pilots who already speak English will begin flight training at the 162nd Wing's home base, Morris Air National Guard Base near Tucson, Arizona.

According to Ben Hodges, a retired commander of the US Army forces in Europe, officials are overly concerned about the Ukrainians' English competence. He mentioned a private chat he had with a top Air Force official who predicted that the flight training might be finished in just three months, which is two months sooner than even the Ukrainians expect.

"They need to fly a plane, they don't need to be able to read Shakespeare," Hodges said.

At the same time, representatives of the US Defense Department said that the training of pilots is only one of many obstacles that prevent the F-16s from entering the battlefield in Ukraine. Currently, Ukrainian pilots are using Soviet-era MiG and Sukhoi aircraft to attack Russian ground targets and defend Ukrainian airspace. Uncertainty surrounds the number of seasoned pilots that Kyiv is willing to remove from combat zones in order to train them in Europe and the United States.

In addition, US officials warn that finding and training maintenance crews, who must also be proficient in English, could prove even more challenging than training pilots.

Earlier: In early September, Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s then Minister of Defence, said that he believes the Armed Forces of Ukraine will have F-16s for use at the front in the spring of 2024.

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