Current:Home > StocksUkrainian pilots could be flying F-16s in three months, Air National Guard head says-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Ukrainian pilots could be flying F-16s in three months, Air National Guard head says
lotradecoin wallet setup guide View Date:2024-12-26 02:17:58
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AP) — The U.S. could have the first Ukrainian pilots trained on F-16 fighter jets before the end of the year, though it will be longer than that before they are flying combat missions, the director of the U.S. Air National Guard said Tuesday.
The Ukrainian pilots are expected to arrive at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona, by October. Those aviators are being evaluated for English language skills right now, and depending on their proficiency and previous fighter jet experience, they could complete the U.S. training within three months, Lt. Gen. Michael Loh, director of the U.S. Air National Guard said Tuesday at the annual Air Force Association convention in National Harbor, Maryland.
“As soon as they’re given a go-ahead, they’ll be coming over and they’ll start their training immediately,” Loh said.
To meet the quick training timeframe, Tucson will likely shift some of its other international pilot training commitments it has in order to move Ukraine to the front of the line, Loh said.
“It’s a national priority,” Loh said.
However, after completing the U.S. training, they would need to return to Europe for additional NATO training. In addition, NATO allies are also training Ukrainians on how to maintain the aircraft, and that will also need to be completed before the jets would be flying combat missions. Loh did not have an estimate of how much time the additional training would take.
Gen. David Allvin, the nominee to become the next chief of the Air Force, told senators at his confirmation hearing Tuesday that, on average, the F-16 training will take six to nine months.
Ukraine’s leaders have asked for fighter jets from the West since the earliest days of the war. For the first year and a half, the U.S. and other allied partners focused on providing other weapons systems, citing the jets’ cost, concerns about further provoking Russia, the number of deadly air defense systems Russia had covering Ukrainian airspace and the difficulty in maintaining the jets.
Since then the war has become a gruesome, slow-moving fight with the same ground tactics and trench warfare reminiscent of World War I, and for that, the F-16’s ability to suppress enemy air defenses and conduct low-altitude attacks could help Ukraine, Loh said. In addition, unlike some other systems pledged to Ukraine, the F-16 is still in production, and because it is widely used by a number of international partners, there are plenty of spare parts.
“I definitely think it can be a game changer,” Loh said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked Allvin if the training could be accelerated, noting that the Ukrainian forces learned how to operate other systems, such as the Stryker and Bradley fighting vehicles, faster than anticipated.
“I can assure you that if the folks in Tucson see the advancement, they will not hold them back,” Allvin, who is currently the vice chief of the Air Force, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “They will train them to the level of their competency, and if that takes less time, then all the better.”
Ukraine is seeking up to 50 F-16 fighter jets, or the equivalent of three fighter squadrons from coalition nations; in August Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was set to receive 42 of the jets.
Loh said the Air National Guard assessed the three-month timeline based on training Ukrainian pilots received on Fresno, California-based F-15Cs, another advanced Air National Guard fighter jet. That exposure allowed the Air National Guard to assess that Ukraine’s aviators were already using more Western tactics in flying and that it would not take long to bring them up to speed, Loh said.
The nine-month timeframe is the estimate to get pilots with no previous fighter jet experience flying the F-16s, Loh said.
veryGood! (6222)
Related
- 'Love Island UK' stars Molly-Mae Hague, Tommy Fury announce split after 5 years
- Taylor Swift AI-generated explicit photos just tip of iceberg for threat of deepfakes
- How tiny, invasive ants spewed chaos that killed a bunch of African buffalo
- Kim Kardashian Reveals If Her Kids Will Take Over Her Beauty Empire
- The president of Columbia University has resigned, effective immediately
- AP Photos: Indians rejoice in colorful Republic Day parade with the French president as chief guest
- As US brings home large numbers of jailed Americans, some families are still waiting for their turn
- Underground fire and power outage in downtown Baltimore snarls commute and closes courthouses
- How a small group of nuns in rural Kansas vex big companies with their investment activism
- Sundance Festival breakthroughs of 2024: Here are 14 new films to look forward to
Ranking
- Wisconsin’s Evers urges federal judge not to make changes at youth prison in wake of counselor death
- A British painting stolen by mobsters is returned to the owner’s son — 54 years later
- Ukrainians worry after plane crash that POW exchanges with Russia will end
- Man gets death sentence for killing 36 people in arson attack at anime studio in Japan
- Beyoncé leads nominations for 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards
- Golf phenom Nick Dunlap talks about going pro: It was the easiest, hardest decision I've ever had to make
- Scammers hacked doctors prescription accounts to get bonanza of illegal pills, prosecutors say
- Milo Ventimiglia Makes Rare Comment About Married Life With Jarah Mariano
Recommendation
-
A fiery Texas politician launched a legal assault on Google and Meta. And he's winning.
-
Luka Doncic lights up Hawks for 73 points, tied for fourth-most in one game in NBA history
-
Teen Mom’s Kailyn Lowry Shares Her Twins Spent Weeks in NICU After Premature Birth
-
Can Taylor Swift sue over deepfake porn images? US laws make justice elusive for victims.
-
Biden to designate 1908 Springfield race riot site as national monument
-
Lions could snap Detroit's 16-year title drought: Here's the last time each sport won big
-
Leader of Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland says deal with Ethiopia will allow it to build a naval base
-
Luka Doncic lights up Hawks for 73 points, tied for fourth-most in one game in NBA history