Ukraine - F-16 - Training - 2023
Jeffrey Fischer, a former US Air Force colonel, argued 09 January 2023 in a Kyiv Post piece that Kyiv did not need to request aircraft directly from the US Air Force. Instead, Fischer suggested Kyiv take advantage of a 2019 Defense Department initiative to outsource its aggressor air training units to a few private corporations that not only conduct pilot training but also possess the aircraft that will likely be deployed in battle. He noted ", the company would provide its own qualified aircrew (and well qualified at that). There'd be no training requirement. "
"Top Aces or Draken have built fleets that could provide a substantial capability given their recent procurement of F-16 Falcons. Top Aces recently won a $175 million defense contract to provide F-16 aggressor training to the U.S. Air Force after procuring 29 ex-Israeli F-16s. Similarly, Draken's former CEO, Joe Ford, announced the purchase of 12 ex-Norwegian F-16s... "
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hoped to receive F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles from Western countries at future meetings of defense ministers at the American Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Zelensky said 20 January 2023, speaking to the meeting participants via video link. Zelensky also expressed hope that the next meetings at this air base "will go down in history as Rammstein F-16s and long-range missiles."
Michael Rubin of 19fortyfive.com noted in January 2023 "At present, it takes approximately two years to move F-16 pilots from the simulator to mastery of the F-16s itself. If perfection need not be enemy of the good, then perhaps Ukrainians who begin training this month could be operating F-16s independently by summer 2024. A complete course of training would bring Ukrainian F-16 pilots into 2025. Such training would not force any decision, but it would keep all options on the table rather than force Ukraine and its allies to weather a two-year delay once Biden or a successor gives a green light."
The potential transfer of F-16 fighters to Ukraine would be a difficult task due to the long training periods. This was announced on 02 February 2023 on the air of Polish television by Deputy Minister of Defense Marcin Ocepa. "These are not machine guns that you can just put into someone's hands," he said. Asked how long F-16 training takes, Ochepa said the process takes "many months." "If we reduce it, then I think maybe six months. But this is in a very urgent mode. In normal mode, it is much longer. In addition, infrastructure and logistics are needed. Because of all this, this operation would be difficult," he said. he. As the representative of the Polish defense ministry emphasized, at the moment the issue of transferring the F-16 to Ukraine is not being discussed. "There is no political decision, and there is nothing to comment on," he stated.
The White House said on March 9 that Washington currently has no plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16. And US President Joe Biden noted that the supply of American fighters "is not a priority right now." At the same time, on March 4, the NBC channel announced the arrival of two Ukrainian pilots in the United States for possible training in working with Western strike aircraft, including F-16 fighters.
Testing of Ukrainian military pilots in the United States has shown that they can master the F-16 fighter in less than six months. This was stated by the head of aviation of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Golubtsov told The Times 19 March 2023. "The two pilots spent three weeks there, training on the F-16 simulator for joint weapons flight. The results are very good: Ukrainian pilots can learn to fly and control the weapons system on the F-16 in less than six months," he said. According to Golubtsov, the most capable Ukrainian pilots can master the program as soon as possible. "The skills of the pilots were rated very highly, and these guys were just average pilots. Each pilot is unique, so there should be an individual training plan. But after this assessment, we can significantly reduce the [training] period, depending on the previous experience of Ukrainian pilots. This great news for us," he said.
The US had ruled out sending F-16 jets to Ukraine, since U.S. officials had estimated the most expeditious time needed for pilot training at 18 months. The Baseline Pilot Assessment (BPA) the US Air Force conducted involved a pair of experienced Ukrainian fliers. Conducted from 27 February to 10 March 2023, the BPA concluded that, "given the skillset demonstrated by the UKR AF pilots, and the requirement to develop a specialized syllabus only focused on min required tasks, ~4 months is a realistic training timeline."
"We believed that our pilots would show their [skill] level, and it really happened. Two pilots successfully passed the test in the United States," said Yurii Ihnat, a spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported Ukrainska Pravda. "The assessment given was quite high, and at the end of the report [it is indicated.] that a retraining program for Ukrainian pilots to master F-16 jets could be significantly reduced compared to standard pilot training programs," Ihnat said.
Russian Air Force Major-General (ret.) Vladimir Popov believed that although NATO could take "green" Ukrainian recruits who would be of very limited value on the battlefield straight from the academy and train them to fly F-16s, finding and retraining experienced pilots would be much more difficult, given the Ukrainian Air Force's catastrophic losses over the past year-and-a-half. Popov said " a well-trained pilot could theoretically be retrained to take off, land, and perform a holding maneuver aboard the F-16 even in three months' time. But after that it will be necessary to train on the combat use of the aircraft's weapons", explaining that this is where the time requirements start to pile up.
"If they recruited 30-40, that would be a lot. And there are maybe 25-30 today who are free and can begin training tomorrow. Because someone needs to continue flying the combat aircraft that they have - MiG-29s, Su-25s, Su-27s," the veteran pilot estimated.
Popov said the real required training time would be six months, and up to a year to train a pilot worth his salt. In the F-16's case, it would require "a minimum" of two additional months, whereas it would take up to a year for a pilot - even an experienced pilot - to master the use of the jet's unguided rockets, missiles and small and large-caliber bombs, among other munitions.
On top of that is the language barrier, which in this case will inevitably play a negative role. "It's one thing to quickly learn and perceive something in your native language, and another to learn through a translator or you yourself translating in your head, for example, from English into Russian, and then acting, and vice versa. All of this takes time, and in this case there will be certain difficulties."
Additionally, the cost - including everything from finding qualified flight instructors to the resources spent on fuel, munitions expended in testing, and the aircraft's service life, which also isn't unlimited in conditions of rigorous training, must also be taken into account, with total costs running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars per pilot, if not more, Popov said. "Because this is very complex and expensive equipment; its maintenance is also labor-intensive and therefore [also] expensive."
Popov stressed that deploying F-16s to Ukraine could become a very costly form of negative PR for the US defense industry, undermining the image of a jet which continues to be operated by dozens of countries around the world, and which is still generally considered effective. "And suddenly it will be beaten mercilessly."
"When it comes into contact with our armed forces, I think it's effectiveness will be reduced many times over, and this is bad advertising for this aircraft. Will the Americans go for it so easily? I think they'll think about, even if they have the desire to send it and the money is already allocated…Because I think you'll agree that this would be a very big stumbling block for the US military-industrial complex," resulting in questions from the F-16's foreign buyers, the pilot said.
Walking back on his earlier statements, US President Joe Biden on 19 May 2023 informed his G7 allies that Washington DC will support a joint effort to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation aircraft, including F-16s. The training is expected to commence in the coming weeks; however, it will take place in European countries. US military personnel will also take part in the training.
Biden had earlier said that he didn't think Ukraine needed F-16 fighter jets. The decision to form a joint training programme was made very quickly by Joe Biden after consultations with America's European partners. Whether or not to give F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine was a major issue on the G7 meeting agenda. This came after UK PM Rishi Sunak called on European nations having F-16s in their stockpile to send them to Ukraine to help defend the nation against a Russian offensive.
A US official was quoted by CNN as saying that the training will take months to complete. "As the training takes place over the coming months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them," the official said.
The official added that "to date, the United States and our allies and partners have focused on providing Ukraine with the vast majority of the systems, weapons, and training it requires to conduct offensive operations this spring and summer. Discussions about improving the Ukrainian Air Force reflect our long-term commitment to Ukraine's self-defense."
Biden administration signalled to European allies that the US would soon allow them to send their F-16s to Ukraine. Some nations have agreed to help Ukraine; however, they will have to first take approval from the US as its sensitive technology is involved.
Britain and the Netherlands agreed 16 May 2023 to form an international coalition to purchase F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine, the BBC reported, citing a statement by the British government. This decision was made by the prime ministers of the countries, emphasizing that they would give Ukraine all possible support. "The Prime Minister (Rishi Sunak - ed) and Prime Minister Rutte have agreed that they will work to create an international coalition to provide Ukraine with air combat capabilities, providing support in everything from training (Ukrainian pilots - ed) to the purchase of F- 16," the statement said.
US President Joe Biden informed G7 leaders 19 May 2023 that Washington would support allied measures to train Ukrainian pilots. In addition, the US administration will not interfere with the sending of F-16 fighters to Ukraine. Experts believe that the US authorities will approve the transfer of aircraft to Kyiv in the event of such a decision by the EU.
Russia will take into account the intention to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Kiev, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told TASS on the sidelines of the XXXI Assembly of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (SVOP). The diplomat believes that "movement along the so-called escalation ladder" continues. But this scenario, Grushko is sure, "is fraught with colossal risks for them."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the air of the Zvezda TV channel : "There is, of course, no law, international law or domestic law following. Just as there is no moral basis for making such statements. <...> It is obvious that this is an attempt to once again do what you love, namely or juggling data in order to achieve their own goals and objectives under the guise of a pseudo-humanitarian principle".
Denmark's Defense Ministry announced 11 July 2023 that the kingdom, plus Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the UK and Sweden are theoretically ready to train Ukrainian pilots to operate F-16s, and that training could start as early as August 2023. The first Ukrainian Air Force pilots will begin training on F-16 fighter jet in Denmark at the Skrydstrup Air Base. The State Department is supposed to authorize the transfer of instruction manuals, flight simulators and other materials required for the training, but has yet to do so, with Pentagon spokesman Garron Garn noting that the requests are "still being reviewed."
Draken International started recruiting F-16 fighter jet instructors to train Ukrainian pilots at Fetesti AB, Romania, 86 Air Base. The company notes in its recruitment announcement, that the military instructors will work at the Fetesti Air Base. The company is also hiring other categories of personnel for the pilot training center, including technicians, electricians, and other avionics specialists. Pilot Requirements were 2,000+ F-16 hours and 500+ F-16 Instructor hours. Applicants must have at least 5 years of experience related to the F-16 fighter jet, and those hired will spend between 3 and 19 months in Romania. Draken International has a contract with the U.S. government to play the role of a conditional adversary in Air Force and Navy exercises. The company also trains fighter jets' pilots. In 2021, the Norwegian government announced that it would also sell its F-16 fighter jets to Draken International.
The transfer of American F-16 fighters to Kiev could take several months, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in an interview with CNN 23 July 2023. "It's not just the equipment itself. It's training. It's maintenance. It's the ability to use it in combined arms operations. All this takes time," he said. On 20 July 2023, US National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby said deliveries of American F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine could begin towards the end of this year, but they are unlikely to change the course of the conflict. According to him, the Ukrainian troops most of all need artillery.
Ukrainian Air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said 16 August 2023 the American F-16 warplanes will not be part of Ukraine's defence during the coming "autumn and winter' period. Ihnat said l that his country had "big hopes" for the deployment of F-16s as part of the country's defences against invading Russian forces. "It's already obvious we won't be able to defend Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets during this autumn and winter," Ihnat told the joint telethon broadcast by Ukrainian channels. "We had big hopes for this plane, that it will become part of air defence, able to protect us from Russia's missiles and drones terrorism," Ihnat said.
The US Pentagon said it will begin training Ukrainian F-16 pilots on American soil starting September, in an attempt to ready them for advanced aircraft. The training will include "several" pilots and "dozens" of personnel to maintain the jets, Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder 24 August 2023. These pilots will be conducting English language training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas in September prior to attending F-16 flying training in Arizona," he added.
Training for Ukrainian pilots to operate F-16 fighter jets is already underway, officials reiterated on 19 August 2023. "Training has already started," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told the Ukrainian TV channel 24 Kanal, without specifying a location. He said the pilots would receive a minimum of six months' training, but he could not say how long it would take to train engineers and mechanics. "Therefore, to build reasonable expectations, set a minimum of six months in your mind, but do not be disappointed if it is longer," he said.
After just six months of language, and six months of flight school, Ukraine's pilots will not be fully competent to fly NATO-gifted American-made F-16 fighter jets, retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski told Sputnik 26 August 2023. "It would be wiser and more cost effective to hire experienced Polish, other NATO member nationals, even Americans or South Americans or Asian pilots instead. Even with experienced mercenary or volunteer pilots, the situation for F-16s in the theater of Ukraine will be extremely dangerous, and it will certainly not be well integrated with air defense and surveillance systems, ground support, logistics, or any perceivable strategy to advance a Ukrainian counteroffensive," Kwiatkowski stated.
Estimates suggesting that a foreign pilot would be able to operate an F16 fighter jet after an intense training period of six to eight months would only work in the case of an American pilot who has already been through US basic flight school, Kwiatkowski, a former analyst for the US Department of Defense, suggested. "This does not include English language training, and while Ukrainian pilots are probably as trainable as any other nationality on an F-16, most are used to Soviet-manufactured aircraft and weapons systems, and air operations in the battlespace. So the muscle memory and the assumptions of these pilots may need to be shifted, and that could take longer for them to become proficient."
However, the proposed timeline should be quite successful, the expert added, if "the goal is not to produce proficient and fully competent pilots, who can immediately add value in a combined defensive (and possibly offensive) sea-land-air operation against a competent and seasoned enemy."
If the initial English language skills fall short of being satisfactory, a "separate preparatory language class in advance of any practical training, and continual augmented language study while in flight school is expected," Karen Kwiatkowski clarified.
"Unlike the case with a lot of NATO allies and traditional buyers of the F-16s, which have long set in place English language training for their airmen, the situation with Ukraine is a whole different ball game. While its anyone's guess what percentage of potential Ukrainian F-16 pilots has had any preceding language preparation, it's common knowledge that learning a new language as an adult often takes longer, and presents more of a challenge," Kwiatkowski said.
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