The Ukrainians are ahead of schedule. They will soon switch to real F‑16s

Jurij Ignat, spokesperson for the Air Force Command of Ukraine, has announced that Ukrainian pilots will soon be transferring to genuine F-16 fighters under the watchful eye of instructors. He also added that the pilots are quickly mastering the training program and are ahead of the accepted schedule. Ukraine pins high hopes on these modern fourth-generation fighters, which will help in the defense of its airspace against Russian attacks.

Until now, Ukrainian pilots have been training on flight simulators that replicate the cockpit of an American fighter jet. According to Yuri Ignat, this will change "in the near future". Ukrainians under the supervision of instructors will begin training on real F-16 fighters. The next step will be solo flights.

We expect that the first group of pilots, who are currently training on flight simulators, fully replicating the cockpit of the aircraft, will proceed to real training and combat on F-16s, under the watchful eye of an instructor. This should happen in the near future - Ignat conveyed as quoted by the Ukrainian military service.

The spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Command also noted that international partners have noticed that Ukrainian pilots quickly master the training program and are ahead of the adopted schedule. According to him, this was influenced by earlier training conducted in Ukraine. After the training is completed, Kyiv will receive fighters from allies. Denmark and the Netherlands are expected to be the first to provide them.

Modern fourth-generation fighters can have a significant impact on the course of operations conducted by both Russia and Ukraine in the air. Several dozen additional machines will significantly strengthen the capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in offensive and defensive actions. Especially since American machines can carry a wide range of armament, much wider than the former Soviet fighters, which are currently used by Ukrainians.

The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multi-purpose fourth-generation fighter jet designed by the American manufacturing company General Dynamics and produced since the mid-1970s. The machines are currently manufactured by the corporation Lockheed Martin and enjoy considerable popularity worldwide. The F-16 is often referred to as the most popular combat aircraft in the world.

The F-16s are 49.28 feet long, have a wingspan of 31.00 feet, and can reach speeds up to 1522 mph. Their range can even stretch to 1988 miles (or 2621 miles - with additional fuel tanks). Thanks to them, Ukrainians will be able to use the very effective AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, as well as advanced targeting and reconnaissance systems.