The American publication Politico reports that Ukraine is dissatisfied with the pace of pilot training for the Western F-16 fighter jets, which its allies are preparing to provide to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the near future, quoted by News.bg.
According to the publication, by the end of September the US military plans to train 12 Ukrainian pilots at the air base in Tucson (Arizona).
According to the publication's sources, another eight Ukrainian pilots are undergoing training in Denmark, but this school will be closed next year and will no longer participate in the program, as the Danish Air Force switches to more modern F-35s.
Meanwhile, F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin and its subcontractor Draken are also preparing to train Ukrainian pilots in Romania. However, this project will be expensive and the number of places available will be limited.
Politico writers write that a total of 20 Ukrainian pilots must be trained to fly the F-16 by the end of the year, just half of the 40 needed to provide a squadron of 20 fighters, according to a former Defense Department official of the USA.
Ukraine wants to send 30 pilots for training in the US, but the US military is ready to accept no more than 12 pilots at a time, the publication said. The main reason is the lack of places in the pilot school, which also has to fulfill orders to train military personnel from other countries.
"We understand that they don't want to violate the contracts, but they can move the American pilots for training to other bases,", the deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Sasha Ustinova told the publication.
Politico also reports that Western militaries do not believe the F-16 can turn the tide on the battlefield in Ukraine, as the use of these aircraft is subject to severe restrictions.
For example, the Ukrainian Air Force will initially not be able to fly F-16s near the Russian border in the Kharkiv region, as the fighters will be vulnerable to Russian air defense systems.
However, according to the US officials cited by the publication, when Ukraine has full squadrons of F-16s, they will be able to carry out missions near the border and strike targets in Russia, given that the radars and the missiles of these aircraft have an advantage over the Soviet models.
Politico reminds that this summer, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium intend to send more than 60 F-16s to Ukraine.