Ukrainian pilots can start using the F-16 in combat as early as February 2024

According to The Wall Street Journal with reference to officials from Ukraine and the USA, the first pilots with good command of English can be trained in five months. It is noted that this is the assessment of the Ukrainian side.

The first group of less than 10 is expected to begin training at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona. They are the first to switch to the F-16. At the same time, dozens of Ukrainian pilots will start learning English at the Lakeland Air Base in San Antonio.

The American side is more restrained in its forecasts. The publication writes that the F-16 requires approximately 16 hours of maintenance on the ground for every hour the machine is in the air. Training technicians can be more difficult than training pilots, the WSJ notes.