WASHINGTON — The U.S. will begin training Ukrainian F-16 pilots inside two months, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a briefing Thursday.
While he didn’t give specific numbers, he said there can be “several” pilots and “dozens” of maintainers trained. This follows comments earlier within the week that the U.S. would take part in the method provided that the Netherlands and Denmark — who’re leading the transfer of planes — reached capability.
“We all know that because the Danes and the Dutch prepare to coach those pilots that at a certain time limit in the longer term, capability will likely be reached,” Ryder said.
The training will begin in October at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona, and will likely be conducted by the Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing, Ryder said. In September, the pilots will first receive English language training tailored to the training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
Details on the curriculum, including its speed and the sort of training that will likely be offered, are still uncertain, Ryder said. They partially will rely upon the experience level of the Ukrainian pilots.
The 162nd Wing carries out international F-16 pilot training and has trained pilots from 25 countries to fly the fourth-generation fighter, the Air Force said in a fact sheet. Morris Air National Guard Base sits next to the Tucson International Airport and uses among the airport’s facilities akin to its runway.
The wing has three squadrons that fly its F-16 Fighting Falcons, in addition to maintenance squadrons to maintain the fighters within the air and other units.
An Air Force official said in a Thursday email that pilots without prior flight experience could learn to fly the F-16 in about eight months, as a part of the service’s standard F-16 basic qualification course.
Pilots who’ve previous experience flying other fighters can learn to fly the F-16 in about five months under the Air Force’s transition qualification track, the official said.
The F-16, versions of which have been flown by the Air Force for greater than 40 years, can carry weapons akin to the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile and AIM-120 advanced medium range air-to-air missile, or AMRAAM. It may well fly of hastens to Mach 2, and has a complete range of about 2,000 miles, in line with the Air Force’s website.
In total, as much as 61 Dutch and Danish F-16s could eventually be transferred to Ukraine. The Netherlands have 42 available, in line with Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Denmark said Aug. 20 it will send 19 F-16s to Ukraine. Since the planes are an American system, they first should be approved by the State Department — a process Secretary of State Antony Blinken said can be expedited.
The Danish military announced Aug. 20 that it had began training eight Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s as a part of this effort, and that one other 65 service members will likely be trained to take care of the fighters and supply other support. Those Ukrainians have already arrived at Skrydstrup Air Base in Denmark, the nation said.
Other countries in Europe, including Greece and Norway, can even contribute, either training pilots or donating fighters.
“Our F-16 coalition is proving its efficiency,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.
Today’s announcement is the newest milemarker in the hassle to deliver the fighters to Ukraine, which has been asking for them for greater than a 12 months. Initially, the administration declined. Yet, as with so many other systems eventually sent to Kyiv throughout the war, that stance eventually modified.
“We could actually have began earlier, but there have been much higher priorities,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in May.
The fighters could also be a symbolic victory for Ukraine. But they won’t aid its slogging counteroffensive, which has up to now didn’t puncture dug-in Russian defensive lines. The fighters aren’t expected to reach until mid-to-late 2024, and air defenses on each side of the war still threaten anything flying.
As an alternative, the aircraft are a part of an extended game to enhance Ukraine’s self-defense. The main focus now could be on supplying the planes and training personnel, but Kyiv can even need improved airfields and ground equipment to maintain operating them once delivered, Ryder said.
“We’re talking months, not weeks, obviously. And as we said from the very starting in May, that is concerning the long run support to Ukraine,” Ryder said.
Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.