The United States plans to train 12 Ukrainian F-16 pilots this fiscal year
17 February, 2024 Myrhorod, Safe Sky 2011 exercise. American F-16 and Ukrainian Su-27 fighters.
2011. Ukraine.
Photo credits: poltava.to The United States plans to train 12 Ukrainian F-16 pilots this fiscal year. Air & Space Forces reported on this with reference to an Air National Guard official.
Eight of those pilots are currently undergoing training. Four more are also set to be trained before the end of fiscal 2024. "It is very much a standardized training program that multiple countries are participating in to include the United States with training here in the United States, and English language training that precedes the tactical training," said a senior U.S. defense official.
The 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard is providing pilot training in the USA.
Safe Sky 2011 in Myrhorod. US F-16 and Ukrainian planes.
2011. Ukraine.
Photo credits: poltava.to
"The training is going great. They're flying F-16s solo every day," said Air National Guard Director Lt. Gen.
Michael A. Loh. At first, four Ukrainian pilots were being trained.
But then a new batch of four pilots arrived in late January. Funding to train up to 12 pilots remains despite a £95 billion defense supplemental bill with funds for military aid to Ukraine that remains stalled in Congress, as the money for the tuition-based F-16 training was already allocated. The pilot training is expected to be completed between May and August.
That is a longer timeframe than the Pentagon and the Air National Guard initially suggested in the fall when first pilots began training in October. "We have to provide a fully capable combat operator. We're thinking more long term, so some of the requirements on them have shifted, and so that has necessitated a little bit longer [timeframe].
They're all going through right now, and everything is good on that point," Lt. Gen. Michael A.
Loh said.
Safe Sky 2011 in Myrhorod. US F-16 and Ukrainian planes.
2011. Ukraine.
Photo credits: poltava.to
The U.S. is also training dozens of maintainers, but they are still going through English language training in San Antonio, Texas. The United States has the potential to train still more pilots and trainers if the Biden administration decides to expand the effort. "Obviously, if that's going to grow, or we're going to continue that we'll need to make sure that we have the resources to support that," said Director National Guard Bureau Gen.
Daniel R. Hokanson. Militarnyi previously reported that the Netherlands would give Ukraine an additional six F-16 fighter jets that had been withdrawn from the contract for the sale to Draken.
The country's government held talks with Draken International, during which both parties concluded that the sale and delivery of six contracted F-16 to the company would not take place in the short term.