DOD: Ukrainian F-16 Pilots on Track with Training in Arizona

The small number of pilots training at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson will graduate this year, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

Kimberly Johnson

Friday, January 05, 2024 at 05:17 PM ET

Verified

Norwegian F-16s have landed in Denmark, ready to train Ukrainian pilots. [Courtesy: Royal Norwegian Armed Forces]

Key Takeaways:

Ukrainian pilots undergoing F-16 flight training in the U.S. are expected to graduate in the coming months, having begun their 5-8 month program in Arizona last October.
F-16 training opportunities for Ukrainian pilots are expanding in Europe, with Norway sending jets and instructors to Denmark, and a European F-16 Training Center now open in Romania with support from the Netherlands.
The initiative aims to modernize Ukraine's air force, though achieving full operational effect with the F-16s and reaching Western standards will be a long-term effort due to the pilots' prior experience with Soviet-era aircraft.

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Ukrainian pilots undergoing F-16 flight training in the U.S. are expected to graduate in the coming months, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

A small number of Ukrainian fighter pilots began to train in F-16 fundamentals with the 162nd Wing, Arizona Air National Guard (ANG) at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson in October. Called the “face of the USAF to the world,” the ANG wing has trained pilots from 25 countries to fly the F-16.