The first F16s were reported to be ready for delivery to Ukraine in June, which is...a week from tomorrow. Sounds pretty well coordinated. JL
Chris Gordon in Air and Space Forces Magazine and Yahoo report:
The first batch of multiple Ukrainian pilots have graduated from their F-16 training course at the Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing in Tucson, Ariz., Arizona. Last year, the U.S. and western European nations began parallel programs to train pilots and maintainers. These programs are being coordinated by an air force capability coalition of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group that Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States lead. Some European countries are also training Ukrainian pilots who will fly F-16s. The first group of Ukrainian specialists trained in F-16 fighter jet maintenance has started returning to Ukraine. The first F-16s (may) arrive in Ukraine in June 2024.The first batch of Ukrainian pilots have graduated from U.S. F-16 training, a National Guard official told Air & Space Forces Magazine on May 23.
Multiple Ukrainian pilots have graduated from their F-16 training course at the Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing in Tucson, Ariz., Arizona National Guard spokesperson Capt. Erin Hannigan said. A Pentagon official confirmed the pilots’ graduation. The 162nd Wing is the U.S. Air Force’s training unit for foreign F-16 pilots.
Hannigan declined to say how many pilots graduated or when they did so, citing operational security. But some Ukrainian pilots are still undergoing training in the U.S., she added.
Pilots arrived in Tucson in multiple tranches. At first, four Ukrainian pilots were undergoing training at the 162nd, which began in late October of last year. In late January, four more Ukrainian pilots arrived. The National Guard said it was planning to train a total of 12 Ukrainian F-16 pilots by the end of fiscal 2024.
The pilot training was expected to be completed between this month and August, Hannigan previously said. That is a longer timeframe than the Pentagon and the Air National Guard initially suggested in the fall when the first pilots began training in October.
“We’re thinking more long-term, so some of the requirements on them has shifted, and so that has necessitated a little bit longer [timeframe],” director of the Air National Guard Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh said at the AFA Warfare Symposium in February.
Airpower has become more prominent in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in recent weeks, with Russians using fixed-wing aircraft to support their latest offensive.
“Russians are using 300 planes on the territory of Ukraine,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters on May 20. “We need at least 120, 130 planes to resist in the sky,” he added, referring to F-16s.
Last year, the U.S. and western European nations began parallel programs to train pilots and maintainers. These programs are being coordinated by an air force capability coalition of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group that Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States lead. Some European countries are also training Ukrainian pilots who will eventually fly F-16s.
“Everyone is scared of escalation,” Zelenskyy told Reuters. “Everyone has gotten used to the fact that Ukrainians are dying—that’s not escalation for people.”
Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium have pledged to provide Ukraine with F-16s, a move that requires the Biden administration’s approval, which the administration has pledged to do, as the jets are U.S.-made weapons.
Maintenance plans for the jets are murky, and it is unclear when Ukraine will be able to employ them, though U.S. officials previously said it would be before the end of 2024.
Some U.S lawmakers have questions about whether the training program is adequate.
“Last year, the Biden Administration approved the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to replace Ukraine’s aging and declining fleet of MiG-29s, Su-24s, and Su-25s,” said a recent letter signed by Rep. Michael Turner, the Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee; Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the panel; and other lawmakers.
“While this was an encouraging step, there remains a critical need for a substantial number of trained pilots to operate these aircraft as the F-16 fighter jets become available to Ukraine,” they wrote in the letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III. “According to the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. is on track to graduate only 12 pilots from F-16 training by the end of 2024. Graduating 12 Ukrainian pilots is simply insufficient. Ukraine is at war and slots for Ukraine must be prioritized over other foreign countries.”
The first group of Ukrainian specialists trained in F-16 fighter jet maintenance has started returning to Ukraine, Air Force spokesman Illya Yevlash announced on the Pryamyy TV channel on May 22.
"There is never too great a number of this kind of specialist," Yevlash stated, emphasizing the value of these highly skilled technicians. "The first specialists in this field have already begun to return to Ukraine."
These technicians are expected to disseminate their newfound knowledge among their peers within the Ukrainian military, significantly bolstering the country's air defense capabilities.
Yevlash also highlighted that Ukraine has recently acquired its first F-16 simulator, a donation from Czechia, which will be instrumental in ongoing training efforts. "A pilot who takes to the skies on an F-16 fully entrusts his life to the engineer who maintains this aircraft," he added, underscoring the critical role of these maintenance specialists.
This development follows reports that ten Ukrainian servicemen completed their training in the Netherlands for F-16 fighter jet maintenance earlier.
F-16 fighters for Ukraine
Read also: Zelenskyy outlines needs for successful counteroffensive
The Netherlands and Denmark promised in August 2023 to jointly provide Ukraine with 61 American F-16 fighter jets. This was preceded by a transfer authorization from the United States.
Norway has also confirmed its intention to supply F-16s. Belgium will also provide Ukraine with F-16s, but in 2025.
The Netherlands announced its decision to begin preparations for the transfer of the first 18 aircraft to Ukraine in December, and later increased this number to 24. In total, the country has promised Kyiv 42 fighters.
The tentative timeline for the delivery of the fighter jets to Ukraine was the first half of 2024.
Read also: Denmark to deliver F-16s within few months— PM Frederiksen
The first F-16s would arrive in Ukraine around June 2024, Foreign Policy reported on Feb. 18, 2024, citing European officials. Commenting on this, the then spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ihnat, noted that it was impossible to talk about specific dates for the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine by foreign partners.
Read also: Ukraine to receive first F-16 jets after Easter celebrations - UA Air Force
The first 10 Ukrainian pilots had completed basic flight, ground, and language training on F-16 fighters in Britain, the UK government announced on March 22. The military will now move on to advanced flight training provided by the French Air Force.
Western F-16 fighter jets should appear in Ukraine's skies in mid-summer, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on March 27.
Dutch Defense Minister Kees Ollongren on May 6 announced that country plans to start sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in fall. At the same time, Danish Ambassador to Kyiv Ole Egberg Mikkelsen said that planes would arrive this summer.
The first Western F-16 fighter jets would arrive in Ukraine within a few weeks, on May 10, The Standard reported, citing a high-ranking military source.
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