F-16 could be in Ukrainian skies as early as this winter – WSJ
Ukrainian pilots may start using F-16s in combat operations as early as February 2024.
The Wall Street Journal, citing officials from Ukraine and the United States, says that the first pilots who are fluent in English could be trained within five months. The first group of less than ten pilots will begin training at Morris Air National Guard Base in Arizona. These are the pilots who can transfer to F-16 aircraft. At the same time, many Ukrainian pilots will start an English course at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.
The Americans are more reserved in their predictions, pointing out that F-16s require about 16 hours of maintenance on the ground for every hour in the air. Training technicians can be more difficult than training pilots.
As a reminder, Ukrainian pilots have already begun training in Denmark, the UK, and Romania. France is also joining this process. The Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway agreed to transfer their F-16 aircraft to Ukraine.
