US President Joe Biden has told G7 leaders that Washington supports joint training programmes for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. This was reported by senior US officials to Reuters. The training will be part of support for Ukraine in strengthening its air power.
According to the officials, the training on the US fighter jets will take place in Europe and will last several months. Previously, US officials believed that it would take about 18 months to train specialists, but we recently wrote that our pilots have exceeded all Pentagon expectations, and instructors are confident that it may take Ukrainian pilots as little as 4 months to master the modern F-16 fighter jets.
“As the preparations take place over the coming months, our coalition of countries involved in this effort will decide when to actually provide the aircraft, how many we will provide and who will provide them,” the official said.
The official did not say which countries would be involved, but earlier British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Britain would work with the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark “to give Ukraine the combat aviation capability it needs”. The US has now joined the coalition, and France has also tentatively joined. The United States hopes to begin exercises using fourth-generation fighters, including F-16s, in the coming weeks.
According to The Washington Post, the timeline may not be as quick as Ukraine expects, as the countries that are likely to be suppliers – primarily northern European countries with F-16s, such as the Netherlands, Denmark or Norway – need time to review their arsenals for readiness and to train personnel.
“Over the past several months, we have been focused with our allies and partners on providing Ukraine with the systems, weapons, and training necessary to conduct effective offensive operations this spring and summer,” said Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, during a briefing today. – “And now we’ve moved on to discussing the improvement of Ukraine’s air force as part of our long-term commitment to Ukraine’s self-defence.
He added that as the exercise unfolds over the coming months, the United States will work with our allies to determine when the aircraft will be delivered, who will deliver them, and in what numbers.
“At the first stage, when Russian troops were advancing on Kyiv, the key weapons they needed were Stinger and Javelin. We provided them. At the second stage, when ground battles were taking place in Donbas, artillery and M777 155 ammunition were needed. We made great efforts to ensure that Ukraine had everything it needed to launch a counter-offensive in the summer. This included everything from tanks to Bradley fighting vehicles, MLRS, and ammunition. F-16s are not part of that package,” said Jake Sullivan.
Coming this fall!
The greatest air force blockbuster of all time!
F-16s in Ukraine's skies!
We shall defend our skies! pic.twitter.com/n29vfndHXf— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 20, 2023
However, now is the time to look ahead and decide what exactly Ukraine will need in the future to be able to defend itself against Russian aggression. “Fourth-generation F-16 fighters are part of this complex. The obvious first step here is to conduct training and then work with allies, partners and Ukrainians to determine how to actually provide the aircraft as we move forward,” Jake Sullivan added.
He also said that Ukraine has assured the United States that it will not use F-16s in offensive actions aimed at Russian territory.
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