Ukrainian Air Power: Arrival of US Sent F-16 Jets and Approved Pilot Training for Air Superiority
It’s the coveted fighter jet that has not been the center of the Ukrainian request from Western allies.
They have been used by the U.S. air force since the late 1970s.
The f-16 is the jet everyone seems to be talking about.
Ukrainian air power pilots were supposed to begin training on the jets sometime this month but there have been problems.
Major Jeffrey Downey flies f-16s almost every day.
He’s part of the U.S. air force thunderbirds.
In peacetime, they are known for dazzling crowds with the speed and strength and agility of the f-16.
Why are f-16s so esteemed around the world?
The f-16 is incredible at what it does. It does air to air and air to ground.
It does it all. It is super manoeuvrable and is really the backbone of the united states air force.
Unknown: we wanted to see for ourselves. so I suited up. I had hours of training and crawled in.
It was the flight of a lifetime. the speed, the seamless turns. It is hard to describe.
Ukrainian (Ukrainian air power) officials thought they would have pilots training on f-16s sometime this month but it has not happened.
A spokesman for Ukraine’s air force said the first of the pilots will begin training in Denmark but the training may
Not be complete until the summer of 2024
According to U.S. officials who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity.
That is because Ukraine recently submitted names of pilots that will undergo
Training.
Over half need English training first.
The delays have confused and frustrated officials as well as rank-and-file military members.
They spoke to us privately. Ukrainian air power still believes those fighter jets are vital to their defence.
U.S. military analysts agree.
The impact that these f-16s could have on the war and Ukraine
A big contribution to whatever offence they are undertaking now and in the future.
They can protect troops on the ground from a great distance.
They can’t do a lot of things. We had baulked for a long while at sending them to Ukraine because we were worried about
The loss of x 16’s at — f-16s over territory controlled by Russia.
That argument has largely subsided. We have convinced allies to help send their f-16s but you have heard that there are
Problems here because the Ukrainians need to find pilots that are proficient in English.
It has taken them a long time to do that.
On top of all of that, it takes about a year to train a pilot to turn them into an f-16-trained pilot.
All of that is backed up with the English preference see meaning it is unlikely they will be delivered next year.
At the war’s beginning, a lot of people thought it would be over very quickly.
A lot of people knew then and it is clear now that it is a war of attrition.
The Ukrainian offensive looks like it’s not making much progress for a couple of reasons.
Not the least significant is that the Ukrainians are probing
The front lines for Russians to see where the weaknesses are, for they actually make a trust at a time of the Ukrainians choosing.
The second problem for the Ukrainians is that they need ammunition and lots of it.
As a matter of fact, a cogent argument can be made that they need artillery and rocket
Ammunition is much more than they need f-16s.
F-16s will be helpful to be sure but the battle is on the ground.
It’s an old-style slugfest and Ukrainians need lots and lots of ammunition for particularly indirect fire missiles.
Good