Two Ukrainian pilots are undergoing skills assessment on simulators at a U.S. military base in Tucson, Arizona to determine how long it could take to train them to fly attack aircraft, including F-16 fighter jets, according to two congressional officials and a senior U.S. official. The U.S. has approved bringing up to 10 more Ukrainian pilots to the U.S. for further assessment as early as this month, NBC News reports.
This effort aims to evaluate the pilots’ skills and determine the duration of the training program needed. The pilots will not fly any aircraft during their time in the U.S. They will use a simulator that can mimic flying various types of aircraft, and there are no updates on the U.S. decision to provide F-16’s to Ukraine.
Colin Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, told the House Armed Services Committee that the U.S. has not made the decision to provide F-16’s and neither have U.S. allies and partners. The training could be shortened to six to nine months, depending on the pilots’ previous training and knowledge of fighter aircraft.
Ukrainian officials have told the U.S. and other allies that they have fewer than 20 pilots ready to travel to the U.S. to train on F-16s and another 30 or so who could be trained in the near future.
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