Ukraine likely won't get full F-16 fighter squadron until 2025 - WSJ
Kyiv • UNN
The United States is shifting the focus of training for Ukrainian F-16 pilots to junior cadets due to a lack of experienced aviators with English language skills. A full squadron of 20 aircraft and 40 pilots is expected no earlier than spring-summer 2025.
The United States is shifting the emphasis in training Ukrainian F-16 pilots from experienced aviators to junior cadets. The new direction is due to the lack of experienced Ukrainian pilots with the necessary knowledge of English. Writes UNN with reference to The Wall Street Journal.
Ukraine is unlikely to receive 20 planes and 40 pilots until the spring or summer of 2025.
Despite the fact that the United States has accelerated the training of Ukrainian pilots to six to nine months, the process will still “take many months,” the newspaper writes.
The United States shifts the emphasis in training Ukrainian F-16 pilots from experienced aviators to junior cadets.
The decision was made due to the lack of experienced Ukrainian pilots who speak English. The United States believes that younger cadets may be more open to Western training methods.
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Training for Ukrainian pilots takes place in three different locations: the Morris National Guard Base in Arizona, the recently closed Skidstrup Air Base in Denmark, and Romania.
About a dozen pilots have taken the course, the Wall Street Journal notes.
Recall
The Romanian government has approved legal procedures for training Ukrainian personnel to operate F-16s at the Fătesti air base. This is a fulfillment of the commitment made by Romania at the NATO Summit in Vilnius.
