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F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots faces delays and uncertainty

Kyiv wants U.S.-made fighter jets as fast as possible, but the first pilots to undergo training probably won’t be ready to fly them until next summer

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Updated August 11, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. EDT|Published August 11, 2023 at 1:00 a.m. EDT
Ride in a Ukrainian Mig-29 to experience flying low and fast to avoid Russian radar. (Video: Jason Aldag, Kamila Hrabchuk for The Washington Post)
12 min

KYIV, Ukraine — A first group of six Ukrainian pilots is not expected to complete training on the U.S.-made F-16 before next summer, senior Ukrainian government and military officials said, following a series of delays in the West’s instruction program for the sophisticated fighter jet.

The timeline reflects the disconnect between Ukraine’s supporters, who envision F-16s as a key tool in the country’s long-term defense, and Kyiv, which has desperately requested that the jets reach the battle space as soon as possible, viewing them as critical for the current fight against occupying Russian forces.