That is according to the Pentagon, The Guardian reports.
As a Pentagon spokesman Brig Gen Pat Ryder said on Thursday, Ukrainian F-16 pilots’ training would begin after the representatives of the Air Force of Ukraine receive English-language training next month. The flight training would take place at the Morris air national guard base in Tucson, Arizona, he added.
Read more: The F-16 Aircraft Had already Landed on Ukrainian Airfields and even Engaged with Su-27 Fighters
According to Pat Ryder, several pilots and dozens of aircraft maintenance crew would take the training.
“This is about the long-term support to Ukraine,” Pat Ryder said. “This is not about the counteroffensive that they’re conducting right now.”
US military officials stress it takes years of training to be able to field F-16 squadrons, limiting the impact the aircraft will have on Ukraine’s defense for the near future.
For experienced pilots, F-16 training could take around five months, a Pentagon spokesman stated. Courses covering basics could include formation flying, operating weapons, air combat and suppressing air defence systems, in addition to flying the craft.
As Defense Express reported citing Ukraine’s MoD Ukrainians Began Training on F-16 fighters. We also reported, that The Netherlands Was Giving All its F-16s to Ukraine while the Country Would Also Get 19 F-16 Fighter Jets From Denmark and Third Donor of F-16s to Ukraine is Norway. As experts say, as US starting training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 Ukraine would likely to get the aircraft from the USA too.
Find more details on the issue in the article by The Guardian, please.
For reference by Defense Express: It is likely that Ukrainian pilots will take training on the base of the 162nd Wing (162 WG) - a unit of the Arizona Air National Guard, that is stationed at Morris Air National Guard Base, Arizona. The primary mission of the 162nd Wing is education and flight training of international F-16 Fighting Falcon aircrews. In addition, the wing performs air defense and homeland protection of the United States. If activated to federal service, the wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command.
Read more: The F-16 Delivery Rate to Ukraine Announced as Well As Whether the Country Will Have Swedish Gripen
