Ukrainian pilots start training on F-16s in the US

Ukrainian pilots started training on F-16 fighter jets at an air base in Arizona, the United States, according to the US Air Force spox, the Air & Space Forces Magazine reported on 25 October.

According to US Air Force spox, a “small number” of Ukrainian pilots began training with the 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard earlier this week in “F-16 fundamentals.”

“The training curriculum will align with the foundational knowledge and skills of each pilot and is expected to last several months,” a US Air Force spox said in a statement provided to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Ukrainian pilots train at Morris Air National Guard Base, located at Tucson International Airport. It is the only unit in the US Air Force tasked with training foreign pilots on F-16s as part of its day-to-day mission, according to the Air & Space Forces Magazine.

A typical F-16 training course takes around six months. However, US officials have indicated that Ukrainian pilots are unlikely to follow a standard model and will finish the training faster.

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