https://sputnikglobe.com/20230519/report-us-may-be-able-to-train-ukrainian-pilots-to-fly-f-16s-in-just-4-months-1110451049.html
Report: US May Be Able to Train Ukrainian Pilots to Fly F-16s in Just 4 Months
Report: US May Be Able to Train Ukrainian Pilots to Fly F-16s in Just 4 Months
Sputnik International
It could take the United States substantially less time to train Ukrainian pilots to operate American-made fighter jets than previously thought, US media reported on Thursday, citing US Air Force documents.
2023-05-19T01:19+0000
2023-05-19T01:19+0000
2023-05-19T01:14+0000
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f-16
ukraine
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pentagon inspector general
accounting errors
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The documents contain detailed assessments from February and March of this year at an Air Force base in Tucson, Arizona, where Ukrainian pilots with experience flying Su-27s and MiG-29s but not any experience with F16s were tested in simulators and assessed by qualified Air Force instructors.With only a brief familiarization and no formal training, the two Ukrainian pilots were able to execute complex maneuvers in their simulated environments over the course of the assessment, the report said. Some of these maneuvers required very technical skills, including landing the aircraft after simulated engine loss and executing mock attacks. This represents a big shift from the 18 months that Colin Kahl, the former undersecretary of defense for policy, claimed it would take to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s in front of a congressional committee in February, the report added. One of the largest hurdles the Ukrainian pilots faced was the fact that F-16s displayed information in English, though the pilots exhibited progress in aptitude over the course of the assessment period.The Thursday reveal came as reports surfaced detailing that the Pentagon made a severe accounting mistake and managed to find $3 billion more in arms for Ukraine.Deputy Defense Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed to Sputnik on Thursday that the department discovered inconsistencies in equipment valuation for Ukraine, when “replacement cost” was used instead of “net book value” resulting in overestimating the value of the equipment drawn down from US stocks.The accounting error has neither constrained the US support to Ukraine nor impacted its ability to flow capabilities to the battlefield, the statement added.
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Report: US May Be Able to Train Ukrainian Pilots to Fly F-16s in Just 4 Months
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - It could take the United States substantially less time to train Ukrainian pilots to operate American-made fighter jets than previously thought, US media reported on Thursday, citing US Air Force documents.
The documents contain detailed assessments from February and March of this year at an Air Force base in Tucson, Arizona, where Ukrainian pilots with experience flying Su-27s and MiG-29s but not any experience with F16s were tested in simulators and assessed by qualified Air Force instructors.
With only a brief familiarization and no formal training, the two Ukrainian pilots were able to execute complex maneuvers in their simulated environments over the course of the assessment, the report said. Some of these maneuvers required very technical skills, including landing the aircraft after simulated engine loss and executing mock attacks.
"Given the current skill set demonstrated by the Ukrainian Air Force pilot ... four months is a realistic training timeline,” the documents were quoted as saying in the report.
This represents a big shift from the 18 months that Colin Kahl, the former undersecretary of defense for policy, claimed it would take to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s in front of a congressional committee in February, the report added.
One of the largest hurdles the Ukrainian pilots faced was the fact that F-16s displayed information in English, though the pilots exhibited progress in aptitude over the course of the assessment period.
The Thursday reveal came as reports surfaced detailing that the Pentagon made a severe accounting mistake and managed to find $3 billion more in arms for Ukraine.
Deputy Defense Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed to Sputnik on Thursday that the department discovered inconsistencies in equipment valuation for Ukraine, when “replacement cost” was used instead of “net book value” resulting in overestimating the value of the equipment drawn down from US stocks.
“During our regular oversight process of presidential drawdown packages, the Department discovered inconsistencies in equipment valuation for Ukraine. In some cases, ‘replacement cost’ rather than ‘net book value’ was used, therefore overestimating the value of the equipment drawn down from US stocks,” Singh said in a statement.
The accounting error has neither constrained the US support to Ukraine nor impacted its ability to flow capabilities to the battlefield, the statement added.
