Ukrainian Air Force posts footage of its pilots training to fly F-16s

The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has posted a video showing how Ukrainian pilots are adapting to the US F-16 fighter jet using an aeroplane flight simulator.

Source: Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook and Telegram

Quote from Air Force: "Of course, our goal is to have fully fledged F-16 aircraft training facilities on the territory of Ukraine, training aircraft (Polish Iskras (Sparks)) and flight training centres. But it all starts with small things.

So, while our brothers-in-arms are mastering the F-16 abroad, Ukrainian Air Force pilots continue to fight for the Ukrainian sky and wipe out the occupier on the ground. When there is a bit of free time, pilots get acquainted with the cockpit of the F-16 in virtual reality and perform joint missions over the territory of Ukraine as part of a pair, flight, squadron, while being in different regions of Ukraine."

Details: The video shows a pilot on an aeroplane simulator using virtual reality goggles, an engine control knob, pedals, and a monitor to learn how to control the US fighter jet.

The pilot also learns how to aim missiles at targets.

Thus, the pilot can train to "fly" both alone and as part of a group. At the same time, pilots can undergo this training while being in different parts of Ukraine.

Almost all tactical aviation brigades already have flight simulators, said Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force. This will allow pilots to master Western fighters in Europe and America faster in the future.

Ihnat also noted that the software has real maps of Ukraine, including the occupied territories.

Background:

• Three countries - the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway - confirmed their readiness to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets after training pilots and engineers as of 24 August 2023. A number of countries were ready to train Ukrainian pilots on these aircraft.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has agreements to supply 50-60 F-16s, but that it needs about 160 of these aircraft to defend its sky.
• In September, the Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that Ukrainian pilots were learning and training on F-16s. 
• The US Air National Guard said that the first group of Ukrainian pilots could be trained on F-16s in the US by the end of the year, but they would be able to perform combat missions later.
• The media reported that the Ukrainian military leadership expects the Defence Forces to be able to use F-16s on the battlefield in the winter of 2023-2024.

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