Ukraine found flight instructors: Denmark and the Netherlands took matters into their own hands and decided to train Ukrainian soldiers to operate the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from the American manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
Almost a month after the United States agreed to the delivery of these fighter jets by its Western allies on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan on May 19, 2023, the NATO countries have in fact opted to make a certain amount available free of charge from their Fighter planes in Kiev. And this is both out of altruism and because for some of them (ie the Netherlands and Denmark, but also Norway, Belgium and Poland) it is time to abandon the old models and switch to the F-35 Lightning II.
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According to Breaking Defense, the Netherlands has a well-structured program in place that aims, among other things, to convert Ukrainian air force pilots – who have particular experience with Soviet-type aircraft such as the MiG-29 – into fighter jets used by Ukraine and NATO countries . This includes some language improvement, with proficiency in English being essential to being able to fly an F-16 in optimal conditions.
Problem: Ukraine is one of the least gifted European countries when it comes to speaking the language of Shakespeare: it ranks 28th out of 32 nations according to a ranking published in 2018. According to a US Air Force analyst, the training could take anywhere from four to six months, mainly for language reasons… but not only.
Grab the tongue and find the buttons
As Popular Mechanics explains, the soldiers of the Ukrainian Air Force also have to relearn a whole grammar of piloting. Being used to a particular control arrangement over years or even decades, they have to acquire new habits and new reflexes, as western aircraft are designed very differently.
This long-term work is likely to be crucial, however, as Ukraine suffered significant air losses in the first 16 months of the war against Russia. Nineteen out of forty-three MiG-29s destroyed, a dozen fewer Su-27 fighters, out of twenty-six total: the toll is heavy.
The profile of the pilots is probably not in vain. Almost all of them are at least 30 years old and can only rely on their experience and not on their skills in electronics – since the majority have never completed any current training on this topic.
NATO’s deployment of F-16 aircraft coupled with a solid update of pilot skills should allow Ukraine to catch its breath and draw new blood against the Russian adversary, their drones and their cruise missiles. The start of training is scheduled for this summer of 2023, which in all likelihood will allow the Ukrainian Air Force to face the next winter of 2023-2024 with a replenished squadron and pilots perfectly skilled in handling the F-16.