US to train additional 18 Ukrainian pilots on F-16 jets in 2025

President Joe Biden has ordered the U.S. Department of Defense to expand the F-16 pilot training program for Ukraine, aiming to train an additional 18 pilots in 2025, according to a statement on the White House website.

This move is intended to enhance the capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force, Biden explained.

The additional 18 pilots will be trained in 2025.

The need to expand the F-16 training program has been discussed previously. In early July, a group of 15 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives called on the Pentagon to expand the program, as reported by Politico.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also emphasized the necessity of expanding the training programs, stating that Ukraine needs a sufficient number of F-16 aircraft to counter Russian airstrikes.

At the end of the same month, The Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed U.S. official, reported that the United States was already considering the possibility of expanding the training.

Additionally, Washington announced $7.9 billion in aid for Ukraine (more details here). Biden also announced that the United States will provide Ukraine with JSOW air-launched missiles for F-16 aircraft to enhance Ukraine's long-range capabilities. The maximum range of this weapon is 130 km.

Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine needs 128 F-16 aircraft to match Russia's air capabilities. David Arakhamia, the head of the presidential faction in the parliament and a member of the defense committee, reported that Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and other allies have already pledged twice as many aircraft as Ukraine has trained pilots and engineers to service Western aircraft.

According to various estimates, allies have pledged to transfer a total of around 80 aircraft to Ukraine, but some deliveries will continue until 2028.