Ukraine Will Be Able to Start Using F-16 Fighters in Summer 2024

By the summer of 2024, 12 Ukrainian pilots will be ready to fly F-16 fighters, but Western countries will only transfer six of the promised approximately 45 aircraft to Kyiv at that time, The New York Times reports.

Denmark will deliver the first fighters, starting with six, with another 13 expected by the end of 2024 and into 2025. It remains unclear when other allies will transfer aircraft to Ukraine.

According to the newspaper, the uncertainty surrounding the delivery timelines of the fighters is linked to the training speed of Ukrainian pilots and technical personnel (each aircraft requires a crew of eight to 14). Despite the fact that training has progressed at “lightning speed” under normal standards, it has still taken longer than expected by Ukraine and its allies, notes NYT.

The publication explains that Ukrainian pilots, who were trained on Soviet aircraft tactics, need to master the English language and Western aerobatic techniques. As a result, pilots who completed training in the summer of 2023 were not ready to fly until January 2024. A subsequent group of eight pilots is scheduled to undergo retraining in Denmark at the end of summer.