F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots faces delays and uncertainty

The Washington Post ^ | Aug 11, 2023 | Isabelle Khurshudyan , Emily Rauhala and Missy Ryan

[McGruff]

A first group of six Ukrainian pilots is not expected to complete training on the U.S.-made F-16 before next summer, senior Ukrainian government and military officials said, following a series of delays by Western partners in implementing an instruction program for the sophisticated fighter jet.

The timeline reflects the disconnect between Ukraine’s supporters, who envision F-16s as a key tool in the country’s long-term defense, and Kyiv, which has desperately requested that the jets reach the battle space as soon as possible, viewing them as critical for the current fight against occupying Russian forces.

President Biden, after denying Ukrainian appeals for the F-16 for more than a year, reversed course in May and said he backed the idea of training Ukrainian pilots on the jets, and supported the transfer of the planes by other countries.

[tlozo]

Delayed until no longer needed, once the Russian-Ukraine civil war is over.

Civil war?

[tlozo]

Pathetic. This Administration slow-walks everything.

Yup, not providing ATACMS is ridiculous when England and France are supplying long range missiles like Storm Shadow.

[AndyJackson]

nd SEAD (suppression of enemy air defense) is not just some fighters flying over with HARM, its a complex multilayered system.

Thank you. We are talking 6 fighters here. Who here thinks the S-400 system is not designed to take down the older genertaion of US strike aircraft in the face of SEAD? Russian army doctrine is that they have to fight withtout air dominance and in fact may have to fight when the enemy has air dominance because they are not idiots and have paid attention to how the US has fought wars like since WWII when we had air superiority over Normandy before D-Day.

[JonPreston]

A first group of six Ukrainian pilots is not expected to complete training on the U.S.-made F-16 before next summer

This has always been a Nuland suicide mission.

[Phoenix8]

[JonPreston]

Yup, not providing ATACMS is ridiculous

So why have you been cheering the bloodbath for a year and a half?

[buwaya]

Exactly my point. They aren’t going to be used where the S400’s are going to have a shot at them. I noted various likely uses for them. There are ultimately going to be a lot more than 6 though.

[buwaya]

ATACMs are likely to be useful in Asia and the Pacific.
They are going to be a primary weapons system of the USMC.
They are already deployed in the Philippines.

[T.B. Yoits]

How many of these Ukrainian pilots are defecting and neither the U.S. nor the Ukraine government is saying anything about it?

Long before this war, young Ukrainians in particular wanted Ukraine to join the European Union, not to improve Ukraine, but so they could get their EU work cards and get out of there.

[tlozo]

ATACMs are likely to be useful in Asia and the Pacific. They are going to be a primary weapons system of the USMC.

There is no lack of ATACMS, they were sent to Poland.

Poland receives first HIMARS with ATACMS missiles this Monday- May 14, 2023

https://www.technology.org/2023/05/14/poland-receives-himars-with-atacms-missiles/

[Jewbacca]

It’s not remotely “lost”.

Now, they may have to give up chuck of Crimea, but Russia can’t advance in any material way.

It’s on its path to becoming another Korea.

[Jewbacca]

All the electronics are new.

The airframes are dated and the engine is not the finest.

[Jewbacca]

The F16 does not need a particularly good runway.

I’ve landed and taken off on dirt.

[ansel12]

you are now posting fake photos?

[The Louiswu]

You need volunteers? He can fly

[Phoenix8]

I don’t know it’s fake or not. I just saw it and posted.

It was first published in 2014. From a web search:

https://highkixx.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/6a00d8341ca4b653ef014e89296fd6970d-800wi.jpg

How do you know it’s NOT fake?

[Phoenix8]

It does appear to be altered I will admit….

[Gunslingr3]

So according to your expertise F-16s could be a game changer in the Ukraine-Russia proxxy war.

He’s correct in his assessment of the F-16’s utility in the war. Not sure why you feel the need to introduce the ‘game changer’ strawman.

But there are a lot of drawbacks, mainly logistical, to trying to introduce the F-16 to combat in theater. USAF operates off of an absolutely massive tanker fleet to reach and maintain time on station. USAF has the parts and maintenance tail to keep F-16s in the air. Not to mention the SEAD umbrella mentioned by others.

Likewise I suppose your expertise will project a similar effect when US/NATO forces are introduced.

That would be an entirely different animal. You’d have the USAF and USN air fleets conducting SEAD and attriting the Russian air defenses to dust over a period of weeks. Then you’d see a combined arms battle where the US focused its unparalleled conventional precision firepower on any opposition strongpoints in support of Ukrainian forces moving back towards their internationally recognized borders.

[ansel12]

Here is your doctored photo https://postimg.cc/75bRkTB2

Here is the original photo published in 2006 https://highkixx.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/6a00d8341ca4b653ef014e89296fd6970d-800wi.jpg

Here are the multiple debunkings https://www.google.com/search?q=fake+zelensky+photo+nyc+pride+parade&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS1057US1057&oq=fake+zelensky+photo+nyc+pride+parade&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCjMxMDcwOWowajSoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[Phoenix8]

You seem to be correct.

Too much false propaganda going around.