Pentagon: US to start training Ukrainian pilots to use F-16 in October

The Department of Defence has confirmed that Ukrainian pilots will be trained in the United States.

This was stated by Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder.

The pilots will arrive in the US in September to learn English. Starting in October, they will learn to fly the aircraft.

The US made this decision to help Denmark and the Netherlands train Ukrainian pilots. The Pentagon assumes that European countries will not have enough resources to conduct training in the future. With this in mind, the Americans will train "a few" pilots and dozens of engineers. The specific number will be determined by Ukraine.

The typical training period for this fighter jet is 8 months. However, before the training, the instructors will determine the individual level of each pilot to train the Ukrainian military more effectively.

The training will take place at the 162nd Air Wing of the US Air National Guard. This unit specialises in training foreigners. Previously, representatives of 25 countries have trained there.