Key takeaways:
- Two Ukrainian pilots have arrived in the US to have their skills evaluated by American military trainers.
- The pilots are undergoing an assessment to determine how long it would take to train them to fly attack aircraft, including F-16 fighter jets.
- The assessment of the Ukrainian pilots’ skills is part of a larger effort by the US to strengthen its military ties with Ukraine.
Two Ukrainian pilots have arrived in the United States to have their skills evaluated by American military trainers, according to two congressional officials and a senior U.S. official. The pilots are currently at a military base in Tucson, Arizona, undergoing an assessment to determine how long it would take to train them to fly attack aircraft, including F-16 fighter jets.
The pilots’ arrival marks the first time Ukrainian pilots have traveled to the U.S. for such an evaluation. A US military official told reporters traveling with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to the Middle East that the pilots were in Tucson for “a familiarization event” that he described as a “routine activity as part of our military-to-military dialogue with Ukraine.”
The familiarization event is essentially a discussion between the Air Force personnel and an observation of how the pilots operate the simulators. The pilots’ skills are being tested on the simulators to see how much time they would need to learn to fly various US military aircraft, including F-16s. The officials said that more of their fellow pilots may join them soon.
The assessment of the Ukrainian pilots’ skills is part of a larger effort by the US to strengthen its military ties with Ukraine. The US has been providing military aid to Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea. The US has also provided training and equipment to the Ukrainian military, and the assessment of the pilots’ skills is another step in the US’s commitment to helping Ukraine build a strong and capable air force.
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