Ukraine’s F-16 Training Delayed Until Next Summer, Ground Forces Struggle Against Russian Attacks
Despite launching a major counter-offensive in early June, Ukraine has made limited progress in its battle against Russia. With its ground forces repeatedly targeted by the Russian military due to a lack of air superiority, Ukraine’s hopes of receiving Western-backed F-16 fighter jets this fall have been dashed. High-level US and Kiev officials have confirmed that the first batch of six Ukrainian military pilots will not be able to complete their training until next summer.
Lack of F-16 Trainers Poses Biggest Challenge
The Dutch Ministry of Defense has highlighted the lack of F-16 trainers in Europe as the major obstacle to Ukraine’s training capability. Without sufficient resources, Ukraine’s pilots are unable to adequately prepare for combat. The absence of F-16 trainers has significantly impacted the timeline of Ukraine’s air defense reinforcement.
The Dutch Air Force F-16 fighter jet. (Reuters file photo)
Mixed Opinions on F-16’s Impact
While Ukrainian authorities laud the F-16 as crucial to their defense efforts, US officials hold a different perspective. They believe that the F-16 is not a panacea for turning the tide in Ukraine’s favor but rather an instrument for Ukraine to enhance its military capabilities and play a vital role in future conflicts with Russia.
The “Washington Post” has reported disagreements between Ukraine and the US over the importance of F-16 support. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2020, the Biden administration had been hesitant to offer F-16 assistance. However, in May of this year, the US altered its stance and endorsed the transfer of F-16s from allies to Ukraine for pilot training. It was anticipated that F-16 deployment to protect Ukrainian airspace would occur as early as September 2021. Regrettably, this plan has encountered setbacks.
According to Ukrainian officials, only a small number of pilots (six individuals) have completed their training thus far, which is only enough to constitute half of a fighter squadron. Furthermore, two additional pilots are serving as candidates for training. These selected pilots, despite their fluency in English, must undergo four months of language courses in the United Kingdom to familiarize themselves with fighter jet terminologies. However, due to Denmark’s requirement for simultaneous training of all crew members, including ground staff with limited English proficiency, the pilot air combat training schedule has been delayed until January 2022. It will then span a duration of six months. The second batch of six to eight pilots is projected to be ready for training towards the end of next year.
Inadequate Training Capacity in Europe
While Ukrainian officials refrain from criticizing the US and Europe excessively to avoid seeming ungrateful, they acknowledge the training program’s limitations due to the participating European countries’ inability to provide extensive training capacity. The Dutch Ministry of Defense spokesperson, Lt. Col. Mark van de Beek, admits that the scarcity of F-16 trainers in Europe presents a significant challenge to Ukraine’s training endeavors.
US Blames Ukraine for Delays
US officials attribute the delays in F-16 training partially to Ukraine’s actions. They assert that Ukraine only recently provided the list of the first batch of trainee pilots, and out of the 32 proposed pilots, only eight had passed the English specialization test and demonstrated satisfactory communication skills. Additionally, US officials claim that Ukraine is retaining most of its top pilots to continue flying outdated Russian military aircraft.
However, the Biden administration is now open to alternative solutions. If Europe proves incapable of meeting Ukraine’s training needs, the United States is willing to step in and relocate Ukrainian pilots to American training facilities. The US Air Force has the capacity to train approximately 400 F-16 pilots annually.
Training Timeline and Process
Air combat training for Ukraine’s most experienced pilots extends over a period of six months. Western allies aim to establish a separate training program for novice pilots, resulting in a comprehensive training period of more than two years, including language courses.
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Ukraine has made limited progress since launching its long-awaited major counter-offensive in early June, and its ground forces have been hit repeatedly by the Russian military for lack of air superiority. Originally, it was expected that the Western-backed F-16 fighter jets would be in place as soon as possible this fall. However, high-level US officials and Kiev officials confirmed that the first batch of six Ukrainian military pilots will not be able to complete their training until next summer.
A spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of Defense said the biggest challenge to training capability is the lack of F-16 trainers in Europe. The photo shows a Dutch Air Force F-16 fighter jet. (Reuters file photo)
The “Washington Post” reported that although the Kiev authorities praised the F-16 as very important, US officials had a completely different opinion. They believed that the F-16 was not a magic weapon for the Ukrainian army to turn things around, but only helped the Ukrainian army to transform into a well-equipped regional power and an instrument that can play an important role in the fight against Russia in the future.
After Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February last year, the Biden administration in the United States has been reluctant to assist Ukraine with F-16s. It was not until May of this year that it changed its mind and supported the idea of allies transferring F -16s to Ukraine to train pilots for the Ukrainian army. Ukraine had hoped, with the help of Denmark, the Netherlands and other countries for training, that it would be able to see the location of F-16 appearing to protect its airspace as soon as September this year, but things backfired.
According to two Ukrainian officials, the first batch of trained pilots was only 6 people, just enough for half a fighter squadron, and there were 2 more pilots as candidates. Ukrainian officials said that although the selected pilots are fluent in English, they still have to go to the UK to take English classes for 4 months to familiarize themselves with terms related to fighter jets. According to the Ukrainian side, these pilots have to take classes with other ground crew who do not speak English well, because Denmark requires that all crew members be trained at the same time, not the pilots only. As a result, the pilot air combat training schedule will be delayed until January next year, and the air combat training will take 6 months. In another 6 months, that is, towards the end of next year, a second batch of 6 to 8 pilots will be ready for training.
Ukrainian officials said they did not want to be too harsh on the US and Europe, lest they be seen as ungrateful, but one of them still said “this is a delay”. They say that the number of pilots that can be trained at one time is so small because the European countries participating in the training program cannot provide a large training capacity.
Lt. Col. Mark van de Beek, a spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of Defense, said the biggest challenge to training capability is the lack of F-16 trainers in Europe, and the Netherlands also has operations to replace F-16 stealth fighters. 35.
Ukraine has repeatedly questioned why the United States, which has more training capacity, is unable to provide F-16 training, such as at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona; in contrast, earlier this year, the Ukrainian military already had personnel in Oklahoma The US Army base in Ma is receiving Patriot anti-aircraft missile training.
US officials blamed some of the delay in F-16 training on Ukraine, saying the other party did not provide the list of the first batch of trainee pilots until recently, and only 8 of the 32 pilots and passed the English specialization test and that they have enough communication skills, strengthening. US officials also said that most of Ukraine’s best pilots are being kept in the country to continue flying old Russian military aircraft.
But the Biden administration is finally leaving for the first time. An official said that if Europe proves that the amount of training cannot meet Ukraine’s needs, the United States will prepare to take over and move Ukrainian pilots to the United States for training; the US Air Force can train about 400 F-16 pilots a year.
Air combat training of the most experienced pilots in the Ukrainian Army takes 6 months. The Western allies intend to create a separate training process for beginners, and the entire training period, including language courses, will last more than 2 years.
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