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​The Eurofighter Typhoon Jets Supply is Not on the Horizon, as Britain Can’t Ensure its Own Technical and Personnel Needs

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The Eurofighter Typhoon jets of the Royal Air Force / Photo credit: the Royal Air Force
The Eurofighter Typhoon jets of the Royal Air Force / Photo credit: the Royal Air Force

The transition of Ukrainian Air Force fighter pilots to the new aircraft types can take years

To begin with, Great Britain has a training program of its own pilots, which consists of air combat tactics exercises on the simulator and flights on the Hawk T2 trainer and light attack aircraft. According to Air Marshal Greg Bagwell, a former senior Royal Air Force (RAF) commander, in The Drive report, if operational reasons demanded, the course could be done in four to six weeks.

The Hawk T2 trainer and light attack aircraft Defense Express The Eurofighter Typhoon Jets Supply is Not on the Horizon, as Britain Can’t Ensure its Own Technical and Personnel Needs
The Hawk T2 trainer and light attack aircraft / Photo credit: the Royal Air Force

The concern is that 28 Hawk T2 aircraft of the RAF are not “performing their official duties” because of the technical issues.

Read more: If Britain Sends Minesweepers For Ukrainian Navy, Will Turkey Let These Ships Through Its Straits

As of last September, it was reported that around 280 personnel were in limbo as they waited to move from one UK Military Flying Training System (MFTS) course to the next. So the United Kingdom had to send more students to the United States, where they joined the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training.

But Britain requests only infrastructure in these cases, as the RAF have reliable training programs. For instance, in the recent past, the process of training a fast-jet pilot took around five years, including about three and a half years of actual flying training.

British Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 jet, 2020 Defense Express The Eurofighter Typhoon Jets Supply is Not on the Horizon, as Britain Can’t Ensure its Own Technical and Personnel Needs
British Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 jet, 2020 / open source

This is why London can supply the Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 jets to Ukraine no sooner than few month or even years.

But Britain intend to start training Ukrainian pilots in order to have time for preparing technicians that will maintain crafts.

The Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 jet of the Ukrainian Air Force, potential exterior Defense Express The Eurofighter Typhoon Jets Supply is Not on the Horizon, as Britain Can’t Ensure its Own Technical and Personnel Needs
The Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 jet of the Ukrainian Air Force, potential exterior / Photo credit: Clavework Graphics
Read more: ​Fighters Are Not The Priority, UK Focuses on Providing Ukraine with Long-Range Missiles and Drones