Ten Ukrainians Complete Basic Flight Training So They Can Die In An F-16!

Basic Flying, Ground School, English, VFR/IFR, Low Level and Formation Flying! What An Exciting Death It's Going To Be!

Here is some exciting news for those NAFO Bro’s, that have seen some pretty lean days lately, as the Ukraine continues it’s utter collapse under the weight of the larger, better equipped, and better trained, Russian armed forces.

Ukrainian pilots move closer to flying F-16 fighter jets as RAF training ends

Ten future Ukranian (sic., I presume they mean Ukrainian, but who’s to say?) F-16 fighter jet pilots have completed the first stages of their training with the British Royal Air Force (RAF). 

The pilots have undergone intensive training in the United Kingdom (UK), involving basic flying, ground school and language training. 

As part of their training, the pilots have been taught general aircraft handling, flying using the aircraft’s instruments, low level navigation and advanced formation flying by experienced RAF instructors. 

I think I speak for the entire world when I say “Wow, 10! Game Changer!”

Besides learning English so they could be trained, they’ve learned basic flying! Formation flying! (that’s some fucking Blue Angels shit!) They even learned how to fly using their instruments, which is swell, because VFR is a hard way to “attack stuff”, never mind air to air engagements, launching missiles, after getting RADAR lock, etc.

The article continues-

The Ukrainian pilots will now move to advanced flying training provided by the French Air Force before learning to fly F-16 fighter jets.

Translation- These guys were totally green, probably not even GA pilots, nor former military pilots, and they have just completed the very first phase of basic flight school, and trainer aircraft flight ops, like a T-6 or something. It takes years to become a qualified military pilot the normal way, and this is NOT that way!

And what are they getting ready for?

According to the UK, the first F-16s are set to be delivered to Ukraine by summer 2024.

Well, “summer” is a fairly broad window, but these guys won’t be ready by then, and probably (if you want them to enjoy any success before dying) not even by summer of 2025.

Ukraine pilots have also been undergoing F-16 training in the US since October 2023, at Morris Air National Guard base in Tucson, Arizona.   Several Ukrainian pilots are expected to complete their training by May 2024.

Perhaps these are at least already GA pilots, or maybe former Mig operators? I don’t know, but whatever “plans” these guys had when this was all started, probably were predicated on all that 2021/2022 hype about “winning”, and “spring summer fall offensives?

If you think about it, and remember all that bullshit that was being said, “back then”, then maybe starting to train basic pilots in late 2023, in preparation for a mid-’24 delivery of aircraft, made some kind of sense… but now?

These guys may not have a Ukraine to go back to, or they may be under new leadership, or half the country might be overrun by Rooskies, or the new Ukrainian regime might have already surrendered to Putin, and the war could be over.

It would have been faster to take some NATO F-16 pilots, make them Ukrainian citizens, and teach them how to say their name, rank, and serial number, in Russian, than to try to make some green recruited Ukrainians fully qualified F-16 pilots.

However you view it, this isn’t going to do anything, except (and this has been a problem for the entire military engagement on the Ukrainian side) create some more “FLASHY HEADLINES!!” But it won’t make any material difference on the ground, or in the skies, and anywhere else for that matter.

It’s not just too little, too late, it’s an actual nothing-burger.

I do feel bad for these rushed, and under-trained “Ukranians”, that are going to be rushed into combat, in an airplane they haven’t mastered, be forced to engage much more experienced Russian pilots in aircraft that they do understand.

However… there is still the possibility, that this all just window dressing, and that as others have suggested, it’s all a smoke screen, to use NATO pilots in “Ukrainian” (so-called) F-16’s, so that this long employed US and NATO military asset, can finally be battle tested in some real air to air engagements against the Russians?

It certainly makes more sense than sending these brand new pilots to die, taking a $100 million aircraft with them, and giving the Russians yet another tactical, strategic, and PR victory.