LE BOURGET, France — F-16 fighter jets hurtle pilots through the sky at as much as 2,000 kilometers per hour (1,243 miles per hour). In tight turns or sudden climbs, gravity is pressing so hard on their bodies that a few of them might even pass out.
Even so, it’s an experience Ukraine is looking for for its own pilots after getting U.S. approval to coach and eventually receive the American-made jets to bolster its greater than year-old fight against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had long pressed Western allies for the planes to realize a bonus within the sky.
But to be a “Top Gun,” you wish greater than just the aircraft: You would like the training to get you there.
Speaking on the Paris Air Show this week, the world’s top aerospace trade show, U.S. Air Force Capt. David “Spicy” Brown, an F-16 pilot, said training takes a couple of 12 months for American military pilots.
It’s not clear how long it’ll take Ukrainian pilots to learn to fly the aircraft.
“This jet is incredibly easy to fly,” said Brown, an pilot instructor with over 1,000 hours of flight time who’s stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany. “It’s the entire other stuff that goes together with the flying.”
He told The Associated Press that “you don’t need to worry about it going uncontrolled. The major thing is having the ability to work the sensors, having the ability to work your radar” and the opposite systems of the jet.
President Joe Biden announced in May on the summit of the Group of seven major economies that the U.S. will allow shipment of the American-made jets to Ukraine and help provide training, although no official plans or dates have been discussed publicly.
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Now, Ukraine is counting on older aircraft equivalent to Russian-made MiG29 and Sukhoi jets. While they’re similar in some ways, F-16s have newer technology and targeting capabilities.
The appeal of the F-16s also lies with their versatility and sustainability, said George Barros, a Russia analyst for the Institute for the Study of War.
They’re made to adapt to different weapons systems — equivalent to heat-seeking missiles — and any spare parts needed shall be easier to get because Western allies use the identical jets.
“In the long run, it’s just more sustainable,” he said.
The controversy about whether to send jets to Ukraine has been raging for the reason that early days of the war. Originally, the U.S. was concerned that it might provoke Russia to attack Western allies.
And while the U.S. has modified its mind, the F-16s won’t be available in time to assist Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
Russia has been capable of fly aircraft like attack helicopters and bombers within the south where Ukraine is attempting to retake ground, Barros said.
“The Ukrainians don’t control the airspace where they’re attacking,” Barros said. “Those are extremely difficult conditions under which to wage offensive operations.”
And that reduces the effectiveness of other weapons systems that the West has provided, equivalent to tanks, he said.