It took just one crash for Ukraine to completely abandon complex F-16 operations. A top US Air Force officer in Europe has disclosed that the Ukrainian Air Force is not employing F-16 Fighting Falcons on the frontlines.
On September 17, the head of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and NATO Allied Air Command, James B. Hecker, said that Ukrainian pilots are not ready to fly the F-16 jets yet.
He said, “The pilots are new to it, so they’re not going to put them at the riskiest missions,” He added, “Ultimately, that’s a Ukrainian decision. But I think that’s the approach that they’re taking.”
It must be noted that before switching to F-16, Ukrainian pilots had only flown MiG-29s and Su-24s and were not very experienced with Western tactics.
That’s why, a Ukrainian F-16 crashed under a barrage of missiles and drone strikes late last month, killing one of the best pilots.
Hecker noted that the United States has proposed to assist with the investigation into the crash but refrained from speculating on what may have caused it.
It’s being speculated that both Ukraine and US are not openly talking about the crash as if they want to hide the weaknesses of the aging fighters against a more advanced and lethal Russian air force fleet.
Indian news outlet Eurasian News quoted a senior Indian Air Force veteran as saying that F-16 jets are far less advanced than the Russian jets. Squadron Leader Vijiander K. Thakur said, “When your 70s vintage, single-engine, short-range fighter has little role to play operating against high endurance, far-seeing, long-range weapons-armed adversary fighters, this is how you cope.”
Anyway there were always concerns over the inadequacy of the training given to Ukrainian pilots. F-16 pilots undergo an extensive training period, often extending to several years. In contrast, Ukrainian pilots were quickly thrust into the fight right away, with at most a year of experience operating the aircraft.
Not to forget that many training materials were in English, a language not all pilots were fluent in.
That’s why Ukraine was strictly allowed to use these jets for defense purposes. These concerns were also raised that President Zelensky may have rushed to deploy them near the war hotspots.
For now, the US is making changes to its F-16 training program for Ukrainian pilots based on the conclusion of the investigation of the crash.
It is to be noted that the training of the pilots is now underway in Romania. As of September 13, the initial group of four pilots commenced their theoretical education at the 86th Air Base in Fetesti. This effort is part of a larger international initiative involving Denmark and the United States to boost Ukraine’s air defense amid the ongoing conflict.
But the progress in training is moving slower than initially hoped, mainly due to several critical challenges. One major challenge is the shortage of trained aviators in Ukraine. The ongoing conflict with Russia has heavily impacted Ukraine’s air force, resulting in significant losses of both personnel and aircraft. Reports highlight that before the conflict, Ukraine had about 50 combat-ready fighter pilots, but this number has decreased considerably since then.
The urgency of the crisis means that many pilots are currently engaged in active combat, making it difficult to allocate time for training.
All in all, the F-16 project is falling apart, with much-advanced Russian air force having the last laugh.