Iran Press/ America: The US will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly US-made F-16 fighter jets, beginning at an Air National Guard base in October, the Pentagon said Thursday.
The training, which will include "several pilots and dozens of maintainers," will start in September with English-language classes to be offered at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder told a press briefing.
The training is part of a US and European effort to get the advanced fighter jets to Ukraine for its military might against Russian forces.
American military officials stress it takes years of training to be able to field F-16 squadrons, limiting the impact the aircraft will have on Ukraine’s capabilities for the near future.
Currently, European countries are leading the effort to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and other advanced fighters made by Western countries, with Demark and the Netherlands now prepared to undertake the task. The US government previously said it would do its part to provide training on U.S. soil if and when Europe reached the full capacity. 219
