In a long-awaited move, the United States will allow allies to send American-made F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv once Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly them, a US official confirmed on Thursday . However, the requirement that Ukrainian pilots be fully trained means that approvals will not come for several months.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which began two months ago, has a chance to prevail without the fighter jets, experts say, but it is likely to be more difficult.
The time frame for US approvals is unlikely to surprise Ukraine. A spokesman for the Air Force of Ukraine, Yuriy Ihnat, said on Wednesday that it has become clear that the country will not be able to operate or receive F-16 fighter jets this coming fall or winter, confirming that the planes are will not play a role in the counter-offensive.
“We have high hopes for this aircraft,” he said.
The US decision had been expected since May, when President Biden eased his opposition to efforts by NATO allies to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and hand over the jets to Ukraine. The official who confirmed the US shift was not authorized to discuss the deal publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Some of the pilot training may now take place in the United States, a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday.
“The US is ready to support the coalition engagement training effort, and is ready to host training for Ukrainian pilots within the US if capacity is reached in Europe,” Brig. Gen said. Patrick S. Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, in a statement.
Ukraine has Soviet-era MIG and Sukhoi fighter jets, but it has long been argued that the F-16 could allow it to achieve air superiority, something neither side has been able to achieve definitively since Russia launched the its full invasion in February 2022.
US transfer approvals, when they come, are expected to go to Denmark and the Netherlands, which are leading a coalition to train the pilots. The Dutch foreign minister, Wopke Hoekstra, on Friday thanked Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in a post on Xthe platform formerly known as Twitter, for Washington’s “good and fast cooperation”.
A March assessment by the US Air Force suggested that the fastest time frame for full training would be four to six months; other estimates are longer. And also requires time-consuming training on how to maintain the jets.
American officials say Ukraine has identified only eight fighter pilots who speak enough English to begin training. That is less than is required for a single squadron. About 20 others are being sent to Britain this month to learn English.
The F-16, or Fighting Falcon, which first flew in 1976, is used by the militaries of dozens of countries for air-to-air combat and air-to-ground strikes.
The F-16 fighter jet is manufactured by American defense contractor Lockheed Martin and is manufactured in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. All four countries have indicated their willingness to move the planes to Kyiv, according to a senior Ukrainian official.
In May, before Mr. Biden agreed to allow Ukrainian pilots to train on F-16s, the leaders of Britain and the Netherlands announced an international coalition to provide Ukraine with fighter jets and the training to fly them. Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak then said the exercise would take place start this summer.
In July, Denmark’s acting defense minister, Troels Poulsen, told reporters that the country expects to see “results” from the exercise early next year.
