It became known when Ukrainian pilots will start training on F-16 in the United States. Ukrainian pilots plan to start training F-16s in Arizona next week, TSN reports.
The news comes after Washington announced that it will lead a coalition of countries that will train Ukrainian pilots.
Ukrainian pilots are expected to begin training next week to fly the F-16 fighter jet at the Tucson Air National Guard Base in Arizona, according to four U.S. officials.
This was reported by Politico.
A small number of pilots who arrived in the United States last month to attend English language courses at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have passed their first English proficiency test and are headed to Morris Air National Guard Base in Arizona. One of the officials, who, like the others, was granted anonymity to speak before the announcement. There, they will train with the Air Force's main F-16 training center, the two officials said.
The pilots will first learn the basics of F-16 flying in the classroom and on simulators, and then move on to flying actual jets, as is typical in any air force pilot training program. However, the course may be accelerated due to the urgent need to get them back on the battlefield, the first official said.
A group of Ukrainian pilots are taking part in an English language program at the US Defense Institute's English Language Center in Lackland, Air Force spokeswoman Rose Riley said.
"The testing will determine their next courses and when the pilots will be able to begin F-16 training. Options for training locations are still being considered," Riley said.
The news comes after the United States announced on Wednesday that it will lead a coalition of countries, along with the Netherlands and Denmark, to train Ukrainian pilots and crew to operate and maintain the F-16. So far, 11 countries have signed up to help with the training, and the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium will provide aircraft.
During a press conference in Brussels earlier this week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the F-16s would not arrive on the battlefield until next spring.
The drills come amid concerns that the Pentagon is running out of money to continue sending military aid to Ukraine, after lawmakers passed a last-minute spending bill to avert a government shutdown that did not include funding for Kyiv. And it comes days after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, sparking a conflict that has rocked the region.
Officials in Kyiv have been pushing for years to bring modern fighter jets to the battlefield. Ukraine's military, working with the Defense Ministry, has managed to integrate Western air-launched missiles into its Soviet-era fighters, according to one U.S. official, an effort that Politico reported was ongoing in March. However, Ukrainian officials say that modern fighters will give them an advantage.
President Joe Biden finally approved an international effort to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16 in May, but it took months for the coalition to agree on the details of the program. Initially, officials said pilots and escorts would be trained in Europe; last month, the Pentagon announced that some of the training would take place in the United States.
A group of Ukrainian pilots studying in Europe are already training on F-16 simulators, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said earlier this month. The next stage is "flying with an instructor on real airplanes," he said.
As a reminder, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the first F-16 fighters would arrive in Ukraine in the spring of 2024.
Tags: f-16 Ukraine
