US confirms start of flight training on F-16s for Ukrainians

The US Air Force confirmed on Wednesday that Ukrainian pilots have begun flight training on F-16 fighter jets at an air base in Arizona.

Source: the statement of the spokesperson of the US Air Force, which is quoted by the specialised publication Air&Space Forces Magazine, European Pravda writes

Details: A representative of the US Air Force noted that a “small number” of Ukrainian pilots earlier this week began training “basics of F-16 operation” at the base of the 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard.

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“The training curriculum will align with the foundational knowledge and skills of each pilot and is expected to last several months,” added a US Air Force spokesman.

Background:

• Before that, a small group of Ukrainian pilots who arrived in the USA in September underwent language training at Lackland Air Base in Texas.
• It is expected that in Arizona, the Ukrainians will first learn the basics of operating F-16s in a classroom and on simulators and then move on to flying real planes. At the same time, the course can be accelerated as Ukrainian pilots might need to return to participate in hostilities in their homeland.
• Earlier, the US predicted that the first Ukrainian pilots to be trained on the F-16 could complete the programme in three months, but they would perform combat missions later.
• In October, the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the creation of several “capability coalitions” for Kyiv, including the training of the Ukrainian Air Force, which will be led by the US, Denmark and the Netherlands.
• As Austin said, the first F-16s may appear in Ukraine no earlier than the spring of 2024.

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