Ukrainian Air Force pilots face 5-9 month training in Arizona

31 October, 2023 F-16 of the 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard. Photo from the unit's page The Pentagon says it will take 5-9 months for Ukrainian pilots to complete F-16 training in Arizona.

This, according to the Voice of America journalist Ostap Yarysh, was announced by the Pentagon press secretary. The completion of the exercises will depend on the individual skills of each pilot. Recently, the United States began training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 flights.

Training began at the Arizona Air National Guard`s 162nd Wing. Meanwhile, the F-16 aircraft, with which the Netherlands promised to strengthen Ukrainian air defense, would arrive at the training center in Romania in two weeks.

F-16 Fighting Falcon of the Air Force of Romania. August 2020.

Photo credits: Ministry of Defense of Romania

At the October Ramstein meeting, U.S. Defense Minister Lloyd Austin announced the creation of several "coalitions of capabilities" for Kyiv, including the preparation of the Ukrainian Air Force, which will be headed by the United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, 150 F-16 aircraft would be enough to effectively protect the country's airspace.

"One and a half hundred is the number that would allow us to protect our country, its airspace. This is in the future, when we replace the entire fleet of Soviet obsolete (and morally and physically) equipment with F16, perhaps another type of aircraft, for example, the Gripen," said Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is known that Denmark plans to transfer the first F-16 fighters from its own Air Force to Ukraine in the first quarter of 2024.

Volodymyr Zelensky and Mette Frederiksen against the background of the Danish F-16 fighter.

August 2023. Denmark. Photo credits: Office of the President of Ukraine

To do this, Ukraine must also be able to both hold fighter jets and protect them from Russian attacks.

In its turn, the Belgian Minister of Defense announced the sending of Belgian F-16 fighters to Ukraine in 2025.

In August, the Netherlands and Romania signed a letter of intent with Lockheed Martin to provide F-16 training and maintenance at the Romanian training center.