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The US has will begin to train Ukrainian fighter-jet pilots in Arizona this autumn, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
The pilots are expected to start training at the Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson in October after completing English language education in September at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
“The United States will soon begin training Ukrainians to fly and maintain F-16 fighter aircraft in support of the international effort to develop and strengthen Ukraine’s long-term defences,” Pentagon press secretary Patrick Ryder said.
Ryder said the US did not yet have a specific number for how many pilots would be included but said the Pentagon anticipates the training would involve several pilots and dozens of crew members to maintain the advanced fighter jets. Ukraine will select the pilots who participate.
American officials had indicated they would be open to training Ukrainian pilots within the US if European capacity was not sufficient. Ryder said the US decision was a pre-emptive move aimed at making sure that the international programme can operate as needed.
Kyiv’s European allies aim to deliver F-16s to Ukraine once the training is complete. The US has said it would support the transfers but would not be supplying its own aircraft.
“We’re talking months, not weeks,” Ryder said, adding that the aircraft were meant to support Ukraine’s long-term security rather than the current counteroffensive.
The US programme is aimed at complementing other training efforts in Europe, including those by Denmark and the Netherlands. Both countries pledged on Sunday to donate F-16s to Ukraine and Norway on Thursday said it would also provide the fighter jets.
Denmark began training eight Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s earlier this week.
Part of the American effort will be aimed at assessing individual pilots’ skill to help determine how long the training will last.
F-16 training for American pilots without much experience typically lasts eight months, while more experienced pilots often train for five months or so.
“A lot is going to depend on those individual pilots,” Ryder said.
US president Joe Biden spoke to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, the White House later confirmed.
The White House said Biden “reiterated the US commitment to support Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression for as long as it takes,” and said the two leaders discussed the plans for Ukrainian pilots to be trained on F-16s.
Additional reporting by Lauren Fedor
