Ukrainians to coach on F-16 jet fighters in Tucson

Ukrainian navy pilots are anticipated to start coaching to fly F-16 fighter jets in Tucson later this yr, as the US continues to again that nation within the face of Russian’s invasion.

Whereas the variety of Ukrainian pilots is unknown, they’re anticipated to reach someday in October, in line with Robert Medler, chair of the Southern Arizona Protection Alliance.

“I believe the Tucson neighborhood must be excited that we’re going to play host to some members of the Ukrainian Air Power,” he mentioned.

The Ukrainian pilots, together with floor crews, will practice with the Air Nationwide Guard’s 162nd Wing at Morris Air Nationwide Guard Base, positioned at Tucson Worldwide Airport.

The 162nd Wing focuses on coaching pilots from world wide, in line with Medler. During the last three many years, the unit has educated pilots from greater than two dozen international locations, together with Iraq, Singapore, Bahrain, Portugal, Thailand and Japan. Whereas many NATO international locations are phasing out the F-16 in favor of the F-35, pilots from Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy have educated on F-16s in Tucson as effectively.

Ukrainian pilots visited Arizona earlier this yr so Air Power personnel might assess their expertise on F-16 flight simulators.

The Ukrainians coming to Tucson for flight coaching will first attend language programs at Lackland Air Power Base in San Antonio, Texas, in line with an Aug. 24 Pentagon press launch.

Whereas the US has not supplied F-16s to Ukraine, the Netherlands and Denmark have mentioned they are going to present the fighter jets from their fleets to the nation because it fights to repel a Russian invasion, in line with the Protection Division.

“The coaching offered by the US will complement the F-16 pilot and upkeep coaching that is already underway in Europe and additional deepens our help of the F-16 coaching coalition led by Denmark and the Netherlands,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Power Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder mentioned in a ready assertion. “Shifting ahead we are going to stay in shut session with the Danes, the Dutch and different allies to make sure U.S. coaching enhances the broader coalition coaching efforts.”

The coaching might final 5 to eight months, relying on the pilots’ expertise, in line with Ryder.

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, a former Navy fight pilot, mentioned he was “pleased with the continued function that Arizona will play in supporting Ukraine’s struggle for freedom.”

The Tucson base’s proximity to the live-fire Goldwater vary — which has almost 2 million acres of open skies above rugged terrain in western Arizona — means its a frequent cease for international pilots coaching on U.S. plane. Huge stretches of the remainder of the state are “navy operations areas,” set as much as segregate coaching from civilian flights, the place Air Power and different navy planes working beneath 18,000 ft are
allowed to fly at evening with out lights.

“There isn’t any higher place on the earth to get Ukrainian pilots and maintainers educated up and into the struggle with the F-16 than Morris Air Nationwide Guard Base in Tucson,” Kelly mentioned in a press launch. “The F-16 will deliver vital new capabilities to the Ukrainian Air Power, and I respect the administration’s evaluation and planning that has gone into standing up these coaching packages with our allies whereas additionally working to provide Ukraine with the weapons and ammunition they want now.”

Kelly (D-Arizona) has been urging the Biden administration to switch F-16 fighters to Ukraine, together with being a part of a March 14 letter to Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin co-signed by Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada).

The lawmakers mentioned the battle had reached a “important juncture.”

“After talking with U.S., Ukrainian, and international leaders working to help Ukraine on the Munich Safety Convention final month, we consider the U.S. must take a tough have a look at offering F-16 plane to Ukraine,” they wrote. “This could be a major functionality that would show to be a recreation changer on the battlefield.”

There have been two deadly crashes among the many international pilots coaching out of the Air Guard base at TIA lately.

An Iraqi F-16 pilot was killed in a 2017 crash about 20 miles northwest of Safford in September 2017, and in June 2015, an Iraqi pilot was killed when his F-16 crashed close to Douglas on a 162nd coaching mission.

In November 2015, an F-16 from Holloman Air Power Base, close to
Alamogordo, crashed in New Mexico, however the pilot ejected safely in that
incident. That F-16 belonged to a unit indifferent from Luke AFB in
Glendale, Ariz.

In January 2016, a Taiwanese pilot was killed when an F-16 fighter jet primarily based at Luke crashed close to Bagdad, Ariz., west of Prescott. 

In February 2017, one individual was killed and one other damage throughout a U.S. Air Power live-fire coaching accident involving F-16 fighter planes in New Mexico, primarily based out of Luke.

In 2019, an A-10 pilot by chance launched a white phosphorous rocket
throughout a coaching train about 60 miles from Tucson. The rocket hit a
desert wash within the Jackal MAO, which sits between the Outlaw and
Morenci MOAs.