US defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin has said it stands ready to help Ukrainian pilots fly and maintain its F-16 fighter jets if NATO states agree to send them to Ukraine, Financial Times reports.
“We are standing by, ready to not only backfill need as it arises with new F-16 builds but also any modifications to F-16s as well as training, equipment, and systems,” the company's chief operating officer Frank St John said.
Lockheed Martin's weaponry, such as the guided multiple launch rockets (GMLRS) and Javelin anti-tank missiles, have played a significant role on the battlefield in Ukraine.
St John said Ukraine’s troops had shown an “incredible learning aptitude” and “very rapidly mastered the use of those systems and employed them with great effectiveness so I am very confident that Ukrainian pilots are going to master the F-16 and be able to use it very effectively in short order.”
Read also:
- Trudeau announces C$500 million aid package, Ukraine F-16 pilot training during visit to Kyiv
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- Ukraine will be ready to deploy F-16 fighter jets not earlier than fall or winter – Defense Minister
- Poland and the Netherlands to help train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 jets – CNN
- Netherlands likely to provide Ukraine with F-16s – Bloomberg
- F-16 training for 20 Ukrainian pilots to start in the UK – Foreign Policy
