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Ukraine desperately wants more F-16 trainees since it's only getting 20 pilots to fly 85 warplanes: report
Business Insider ^ | June 6, 2024 | Matthew Loh

Posted on 06/07/2024 9:06:02 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican

Ukraine is urgently pressing the US and its allies to free up seats at their F-16 training schools so Kyiv can use the dozens of warplanes gifted by NATO members, Politico reported.

But the outlet reported, citing three anonymous sources familiar with the situation, that Ukraine's Western allies cannot train all the pilots Kyiv is asking for.

Politico reported on Wednesday that Ukraine is expected to field about 20 F-16 pilots this year and is asking the US if it can train an additional 30.

Yet, the F-16 school in Tucson, Arizona, can at most accept only 12 Ukrainian trainees at a time since other countries also have contracts to train their pilots at the facility, per Politico.

"We understand they don't want to break those contracts, but they could move their American pilots to a different base for training," Sasha Ustinova, a Ukrainian lawmaker who frequently lobbies Washington for aid to Kyiv, told the outlet.

The dozen Ukrainian F-16 pilots at Tucson are still being taught to fly their fighters or were part of the first batch reported in late May to complete their training, which the National Guard is providing.

There's also a training facility in Denmark. But, per Politico, it's only taken eight Ukrainian pilots and is set to close its F-16 program in November as it switches to the F-35.

Another training program in Romania, run by Lockheed Martin and subcontractor Draken, is expected to start soon. However, it's costly, and according to Politico, it plans to take only eight Ukrainian pilots.

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Ukraine
KEYWORDS: f16; killkillkillforpeace; mic; reportfordutydenys; ukraine; welfarewar
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To: MinorityRepublican
Ukraine should have kicked Victoria Nuland out of the country and they would have been better off.
21 posted on 06/07/2024 10:05:17 AM PDT by McGruff (Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f*** things up - Barack Obama)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Tell that to Putin.

Putin didn’t unilaterally make the decision, and the US media as well as the Government suggesting so is destructive. The Kremlin, and Putin, made the decision. The Kremlin still supports it, and the people of Russia originally were on board with the decision.

Just like in GAZA, saying it was ‘HAMAS’ when everyone in GAZA supports the actions of HAMAS needs to be explored and discussed. People in the US don’t understand that ‘Regime Change’ in Russia probably won’t make the war end. You can’t get peace until both sides really want it, and both sides get some kind of security. Peace through total victory becomes the only option outside of that.


22 posted on 06/07/2024 10:06:57 AM PDT by Pete Dovgan (Repeatedl)
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To: Zhang Fei
Biden continues to throttle the Ukrainian war effort by limiting the Ukrainian fighter trainee intake.

What about the fact that Ukraine is critical low on manpower, let alone experienced manpower, don't you understand?

Almost the entire number of the Ukrainian army when this war began ARE DEAD.

Ukraine's average soldier is 43.

You don't seem to grasp that Ukraine can only lose more lives and more territory by continuing this war. Or don't you give a damn about that?

23 posted on 06/07/2024 10:19:42 AM PDT by Kazan
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To: MinorityRepublican

Come on, get those Ukrainian pilots trained asap!


24 posted on 06/07/2024 10:22:20 AM PDT by Sunsong
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To: MinorityRepublican

Biden continues to help the Russian by slow walking F-16 pilot training and also by restricting the number of slots and the urgency of the program.


25 posted on 06/07/2024 10:55:19 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: Kazan

Oh, quit playing surrender money. Please!


26 posted on 06/07/2024 10:57:02 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: PIF
Biden continues to help the Russian by slow walking F-16 pilot training and also by restricting the number of slots and the urgency of the program.

It's a huge money maker for Lockheed Martin, RTX Corporation, Northrop Grumman, Boeing and General Dynamics.

That's why we are not trying to wrap up this thing.

27 posted on 06/07/2024 10:58:47 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: Pete Dovgan
You can’t get peace until both sides really want it, and both sides get some kind of security.

Both armies are not depleted. So the war will continue.

The Korean War continued because both sides realized that there was no point to waste lives for few acres of territory.

Putin is fighting the war for his political survival. If he loses, he may get overthrown.

The Ukrainians are preventing the Holodomor from happening again.

28 posted on 06/07/2024 11:01:49 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: McGruff
Russia should focus on taking out the pilots. Screw the planes.

From a tactical point of view, not a bad suggestion. However, I thought all this training was being done here in America?

29 posted on 06/07/2024 11:10:11 AM PDT by CodeJockey (I'd like to change the world, but they won't give me the source code.)
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To: MinorityRepublican; mrmeyer; House Atreides; JonPreston; Allegra; Nextrush; takebackaustin; ...
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, it gives me a pain,
Next stop is Zeeper Ukraine,
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

(Thanks to Country Joe and the Fish)

30 posted on 06/07/2024 11:22:06 AM PDT by Enterprise
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To: All
Zeepers!! Fight for your cause. Have you ever wanted to fly an F-16? Sure you have. Now's your chance! Sign up and be a hero. snicker
31 posted on 06/07/2024 11:33:15 AM PDT by BipolarBob (If at first you don't succeed then skydiving is not for you.)
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To: MinorityRepublican
We're not serious about giving Ukraine what they need to beat Russia.

Ukraine doesn't have the manpower to beat Russia. What about that don't you understand?

32 posted on 06/07/2024 12:28:55 PM PDT by Kazan
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To: MinorityRepublican
The Abrams have been totally useless in this war. Ukrainian soldiers are afraid to be in them.

https://www.newsweek.com/us-abrams-tanks-amor-failing-ukraine-1905927

However, the tanks have faced significant challenges on the battlefield, primarily due to Russian drone warfare tactics. The drones have made it increasingly difficult for the tanks to operate without being detected and targeted, leading to the withdrawal of the hardware from the front lines to prevent further losses.

###

"Its armor is not sufficient for this moment," said one crew member with the call sign Joker. "It doesn't protect the crew. For real, today this is the war of drones. So now, when the tank rolls out, they always try to hit them."

33 posted on 06/07/2024 12:33:36 PM PDT by Kazan
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To: MinorityRepublican
Putin just won reelection with 80% of the vote and is office for five more years.

This fantasy about the war being unpopular and him being overthrown is beyond absurd.

34 posted on 06/07/2024 12:35:57 PM PDT by Kazan
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To: PIF
That's easy for you to day when it isn't your life or the life of your relatives on the line.

Ukrainian lives are worth no more than a herd of cattle to you.

35 posted on 06/07/2024 12:37:38 PM PDT by Kazan
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To: MinorityRepublican

So how long can they keep those plane’s flying when the incompetent, corrupt government officials sell all the spare parts?


36 posted on 06/07/2024 1:32:16 PM PDT by Nebr FAL owner (Treason is the reason for Democrat Sedition & subvertion )
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To: MinorityRepublican

Many ex air force American, British, German, Norwegian, Dutch, Italian etc. Pilots are no longer in their respective Air Force. There is a job waiting for you in the Ukraine. Give them a few weeks behind the stick and they would be up to combat level again. I suspect the pay would be very good. I know the danger would be great.


37 posted on 06/07/2024 1:38:44 PM PDT by cpdiii (cane cutter, deckhand, oilfield roughneck, drilling fluid tech, geologist, pilot, pharmacist ,MAGA)
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To: MinorityRepublican
The Korean War continued because both sides realized that there was no point to waste lives for few acres of territory.

Actually that is not correct. North Korea with the assistance of China's support and later in the war actual troops and Russian pilots had pushed us back into a small corner of South Korea, "The Pusan Perimeter." We then pushed them back and would have taken the whole penisula and they knew it therefor they then negotiated.

We should have listened to General MacArthur. He wanted to take the whole damn thing. Truman fired him but oddly correctly though it was a bad decision.

The sad part about the Korean War is the great loss of American lives that were needlessly lost. We had atomics. Russia had atomics but in far inferior numbers and quality. They would have declined to go to atomic warfare with us at that time. We should have used atomics on North Korea.

38 posted on 06/07/2024 2:01:55 PM PDT by cpdiii (cane cutter, deckhand, oilfield roughneck, drilling fluid tech, geologist, pilot, pharmacist ,MAGA)
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To: Enterprise

Heh! That’s excellent. 👍


39 posted on 06/07/2024 2:26:13 PM PDT by Allegra (Toss a zeeper in the Dnieper)
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To: Zhang Fei

Oh, good grief. You blame America b/c Europe can’t train Uke pilots on what are primarily US taxpayer-provided warplanes.

Your rant, provided by the Uke keyboard military.


40 posted on 06/07/2024 2:29:58 PM PDT by citizen (Put all LBQTwhatever programming on a new subscription service: PERV-TThose look good)
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