The United States and allies are beginning to study the possibility of training Ukrainian pilots as part of a long-term effort to potentially help Kyiv build a renewed air force.
Source: Chief of Staff of the US Air Force Charles Brown
He emphasized that the future training of Ukrainian pilots is a complex issue that needs to take into account the state of war and Kyivʼs ability to withdraw pilots from combat for long-term training.
“Iʼm quite sure that there are some of our NATO partners who have done this, have an experience that can be useful to the Ukrainians and help to understand how best to make this transition,” Brown explained.
When asked how long it might take a Ukrainian pilot to learn to fly American fighter jets, the US Air Force Chief of Staff said that an American pilot learns to fly a new type of aircraft for about two to four months. He believes that the transition from the Soviet system will be “a little more difficult” for Ukrainians.
Earlier in Congress, it was proposed to allocate $100 million for the training of Ukrainian pilots and the maintenance of US combat aircraft.
