Ukraine is now recruiting retired F-16 pilots to bolster its ranks, according to a senior U.S. lawmaker.
Senator Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) said this week that ex-Viper pilots can likely get a combat job if they want one.
Ukraine Looking for Retired F-16 Pilots
The country received its first few Vipers in late July and expects it will have around 20 fighter pilots ready for combat by the end of the year.
Key Takeaways:
- Ukraine is actively recruiting retired F-16 pilots, particularly from NATO nations, to quickly staff its newly acquired F-16 fleet.
- This initiative is driven by the slow pace of training Ukrainian pilots; while approximately 20 F-16s are expected by year-end, only about half the necessary Ukrainian pilots will be qualified by then.
- The aim is to get these F-16s into the air sooner to act as a deterrent against Russian long-range attacks.
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