Ukraine is short of F-16 pilots – media

Ukraine asked the US to train more Ukrainian pilots on the F-16, but was denied. Currently, the partners are not training enough Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16, due to the number of fighters that will soon be transferred to Ukraine. Politico wrote this on Wednesday, June 5, citing eight former and current officials and lawmakers in the United States, Ukraine and Europe.

The publication says that Ukraine is talking about 30 pilots who should immediately begin training in the United States. But the White House says they don’t have enough places – they can accommodate a maximum of 12.

Two other facilities in Denmark and Romania have similar problems with available training space.

According to the publication, in a series of meetings and calls over the past few weeks, Ukraine formally asked the United States to train additional pilots at the Morris National Guard base in Tucson, Arizona. At the same time, American lawmakers also pressured the administration to approve more training.

In response, the United States said other countries were also lining up to train for the F-16;

According to a US Air Force spokesman, the National Guard plans to train 12 Ukrainian pilots at the Tucson base by the end of September.

The unnamed former official said that at this rate, Ukraine will not have a full squadron of trained pilots until the end of 2025.

Let’s recall that in early May it was reported that some Ukrainian pilots were completing F-16 training.

F-16 in strategy: when to expect the first fighters