Ukrainian pilots have a lot of good things to say about the American F-16

Pilots from the Ukrainian Air Force training to operate the American-made F-16 Fighting Falcons are very impressed with the airframe according to one member of the force who spoke with Voice of America about the aircraft. 

A pilot known only by his call sign Phantom sat down for an interview with the American news outlet and revealed that the Ukrainian airmen learning to fly the F-16 have heaped praise on the advanced fourth-generation fighter. 

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"Our pilots are very impressed… this plane exceeded their expectations,” Phantom told Voice of America according to a translation from Business Insider. But that was not the only thing that the Ukrainian fighter pilot revealed. 

“Even with the amount of information they have received during training, they already see great prospects and great potential for how this aircraft will help our Air Force,” the Ukrainian fighter pilot explained. 

Phantom added that there is still information that Western trainers haven’t taught pilots or that those on training missions from Ukraine haven’t learned, and noted that aircraft might be capable of even more than they think. 

However, Phantom also told Voice of America that training on the F-16 also posed some challenges for Ukrainian pilots since they were used to flying older MiG-29s and Su-27s that were designed and produced by Russia. 

The F-16 is newer than the airframes usually flown by Ukrainian pilots, and that posed a problem because it was more digitized than older Russian planes. The F-16 has more systems and programs, which posed a challenge. 

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Ukrainian pilots weren’t used to the complicated processes they had to learn to pilot the F-16 both before and during a flight. Phantom explained that Ukraine's older Russian airplanes were simpler than the F-16. 

However, despite the challenges posed, Ukrainian pilots haven’t shied away from their mission. Nor have the allies who have committed themselves to training Ukraine's Air Force on the F-16 airframe, a plane that could transform the war. 

In August 2023, Pentagon Press Secretary Brigadier General Patrick Ryder confirmed the United States planned to train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 after several months of indecision from the Biden administration over the issue. 

"The training provided by the United States will complement the F-16 pilot and maintenance training that's already underway in Europe and further deepens our support of the F-16 training coalition led by Denmark and the Netherlands," Ryder said

"Moving forward we will remain in close consultation with the Danes, the Dutch, and other allies to ensure U.S. training complements the broader coalition training efforts,” Ryder continued, adding that the training could take up to 8 months. 

It’s important to note that the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway have teamed up and are committed to sending Ukraine as many as 60 F-16 airframes according to reporting from The Telegraph in January. However, most of these are at least 40 years old. 

The United States isn’t the only country training Ukrainian pilots. The United Kingdom began its F-16 training program for Ukrainian pilots in August 2023 and Denmark also began a training program in December 2023 according to Business Insider. 

However, while some believe the F-16 will be a game-changing military asset for Kyiv, there are many who have argued that the American-made fighter jets won’t be the new weapon that will lead to the defeat of Russian forces in Ukraine. 

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In August 2023, the Washington-based think tank The Atlantic Council argued that the F-16 would give Ukraine greater capabilities in the air, but added the fighter jet wouldn’t have a “decisive strategic effect on the course of the conflict” on its own. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Drallenphoto - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0