The US Is Now Testing Ukrainian Pilots on F-16s

As Ukraine’s top allies are calling on the U.S. to send them F-16s to counter Russian air supremacy in the ongoing war, the Pentagon now says it’s assessing the fighter jet skills of two Ukrainian pilots in Arizona.

“Two Ukrainian pilots are currently in Tucson for a familiarization event for U.S. and Ukrainian pilots,” said a Department of Defense spokesperson in a statement to VICE News. “This event allows us to better help Ukrainian pilots become more effective pilots and better advise them on how to develop their own capabilities.”

The Pentagon acknowledged the curious timing of the two Ukrainians training in a stateside Air Force facility, but made it clear that “there are no updates to provide regarding F-16's to Ukraine.”

Last week a top DOD official told a congressional committee that President Joe Biden and his administration had not yet decided on whether to send F-16 fighters to Kyiv or even to train their pilots. Over a year ago, when Russia unleashed its full-blown invasion of Ukraine, the American security and intelligence establishment roundly saw the transfer of fighter jets to Kyiv as risking a nuclear confrontation with the Kremlin.

But as the war now heads into its second year, Washington policymakers and the Pentagon appear to be re-assessing.

“The pilots will not be flying any platforms during this event but they will be using a simulator during portions of their visit,” the DOD spokesperson added, which NBC News confirmed will include the coveted F-16. 

First developed in the seventies, the F-16 became one of the markee American fighter jets during the tail-end of the Cold War. If Ukraine received the aircraft they would be a game changing upgrade to their Soviet era fighter jets and immediately challenge Russian air supremacy across the country, lessening the Kremlin’s ability to target critical infrastructure with airstrikes.

According to the Pentagon, the training is part of Europe Command’s initiatives, training partner nations in warfare and this particular occasion happens to be Ukraine’s chance to train its fighter pilots. 

DOD didn’t count out future training exercises involving Ukrainian personnel.

“There are no immediate plans to increase the number of pilots beyond the two currently in Tucson but we're not closing the door on future opportunities.”

Besides the billions of dollars worth of American weapons the Biden Administration has already transferred into the hands of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers, the Pentagon and its NATO allies have been actively training personnel for the Kyiv government on everything from Javelins, Leopard tanks, to Patriot missiles systems, both in the U.S. and in Europe.

Poland and the United Kingdom, which have emerged as the top Russia-hawks in Europe of late, have lobbied allies for months to provide Ukraine with the fighter jets they say will help them win the war against the Kremlin.