WASHINGTON — The U.S. will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, beginning at the Morris Air National Guard base in Tucson in October, the Pentagon said Thursday.
The training is part of a U.S. and European effort to get the advanced fighter jets to Ukraine for its defense against invading Russian forces.
American 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.
“This is about the long-term support to Ukraine,” the Pentagon spokesman, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, told reporters in Washington. “This is not about the counteroffensive that they’re conducting right now.”
The training will take place at Morris Air National Guard base in Tucson. The pilots will first undergo English instruction at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, to bring their fluency up to the level needed to operate the aircraft, starting next month, Ryder said.
Ukraine has long pressed for the American fighter jets to help defend its cities and forces from Russian artillery and aviation. Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway announced in recent days they would supply the aircraft to Ukraine.
Ryder said the U.S. decided to join European allies in the training to avoid bottlenecks in bringing Ukrainian pilots up to speed.
The U.S. training would accommodate “several” Ukrainian fighter pilots and dozens of maintenance people for the jets, he said.
For experienced pilots, training can range around five months, Ryder said. He sketched out courses covering basics. In addition to flying the advanced craft, they include formation flying, operating weapons, air combat and suppressing air defense systems, on top of centrifuge training on the ground to help pilots withstand the g-forces of an F-16 cockpit.
In response to the decision, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly issued the following statement:
“There is no better place in the world to get Ukrainian pilots and maintainers trained up and into the fight with the F-16 than Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson. The F-16 will bring significant new capabilities to the Ukrainian Air Force, and I appreciate the Administration’s assessment and planning that has gone into standing up these training programs with our allies while also working to supply Ukraine with the weapons and ammunition they need now. I’m proud of the continued role that Arizona will play in supporting Ukraine’s fight for freedom.”
