The training of the first group of Ukrainian pilots to fly American F-16 fighter jets will not be completed until next summer. The newspaper writes about it Washington postIt refers to senior officials in the structures of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the publication, the first phase of training will begin in January and only six pilots will attend the training. It makes up half of the entire aviation fleet, while two more pilots are in reserve.
Subsequently, the second group will start training, but the process may be delayed until the end of 2024. The newspaper’s interlocutors attributed the long-term military training to insufficient knowledge of English. As they say, pilots will first need to take a four-month course to “learn terms about warriors.”
The authors of the article also noted that such a program indicates the existence of disagreements between Kiev and its foreign partners. The publication recalled that the West considers the F-16 a key long-term defense tool, but Ukraine is desperate to acquire new weapons as soon as possible.
Earlier this week, US President Joe Biden approved To train Ukrainian pilots to pilot the F-16. The training program is expected to be developed jointly by Western countries.
Formerly in the Armed Forces in the open Source of information on the departure of strategic aviation of the Russian Federation.