Senator Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) said this week that ex-Viper pilots can likely get a combat job if they want one.

“If you’re a retired F-16 pilot and you’re looking to fight for freedom, they will hire you here,” Graham told reporters after a meeting with Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskyy. “They’re going to look throughout NATO nations for willing fighter pilots who retired to come help them until they can get their pilots trained. So we’re going to get these jets in the air sooner rather than later.”

Ukraine received its first few F-16s in late July, and there should be about 20 ready for combat by the end of the year, but training pilots is a slow process.

Only about 20 Ukrainian Air Force pilots will be qualified by the end of the year, and that’s about half the number needed for the available aircraft. The Vipers are expected to act as a deterrence to long-range attacks from the Russian side of the line by forcing it to release weapons from a greater distance.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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Only six Ukrainian air force pilots have been fully trained to fly the Vipers, and Ukraine is expected to take a conservative approach to their deployment.

According to the Washington Post, the first few F-16s will likely be used in defensive roles rather than mixing it up with Russian MiGs and Sukhois. In fact, it’s still not known what operating restrictions have been imposed by the NATO countries donating the aircraft.

At first, the F-16s will operate well out of harm’s way, shooting down drones and doing other defensive tasks. Ukraine says the training process for its pilots is an issue because it takes more than six months to get them the language and technical skills they need to operate a Western aircraft using much different systems and control doctrines than the old Soviet airframes they normally fly. And since only the best Ukrainian pilots are selected for F-16 training, their commanders are loathe to lose them because of the gaps they leave in the ranks of experienced pilots.

Despite all the problems, Ukraine is still welcoming the addition of F-16s, particularly their longer-range radars and flexibility and the fear factor they will instill in opposing Russian pilots.

Becca Wasser, an analyst at the Center for a New American Security, told the Post it makes sense for the Ukrainians to integrate the F-16s slowly.

“If you have this exquisite capability, are you going to use it immediately, knowing that there’s a greater risk of it being expended or are you going to withhold it and use it so it has broader strategic value?” Wasser said.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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After a few months of success with air force pilots and rear gunners with shotguns taking out Russian drones in a Yak-52, the Ukraine military is now training pilots and gunners to use the rag-and-tube A-22 to do the same. Previously the light sport aircraft (LSA) have been used as single-use flying bombs and have taken out some high-value targets. 

According to Forbes, Russian bloggers say it’s time to do something about the new role and its inspiration.

“The Yak-52 flew over Odessa and with high efficiency shot down our reconnaissance UAVs for a week, causing laughter in some circles,” Forbes quoted a translation of the blogs as saying. “This has not been funny to UAV operators and us for a long time.”

What, exactly, the Russians might do to counteract the low-and-slow platforms wasn’t discussed on the blog. The Yak has reportedly taken out 12 drones that cost about $100,000 each.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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The first-of-its-kind competition, dubbed “Ramstein 1v1,” challenged combat pilots from the U.S., U.K., Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, and Germany.

The meeting was assembled in light of Russian ground gains in Ukraine during the third year of the war that rages at “NATO’s doorstep,” the Air Force Times reported. The allied nations’ air forces envision a need to sharpen air-to-air combat skills as tensions with Russia and China threatened to boil over to a shooting war that would put some of the world’s most advanced air forces head-to-head for the first time in decades.

Aircraft on the ramp at Ramstein included U.S.-built F-35A Lightnings, F-16 Fighting Falcons, F/A-18s, and A-4 Skyhawks, as well as Eurofighter Typhoons and French Dassault Rafales.

“Basic fighter maneuvering is a foundational skill set for fighter pilots,” Lieutenant Colonel Michael Loringer, U.S. Air Force-Europe (USAFE) chief of weapons and tactics, said in a statement. “It tests a pilot’s reaction time, physical stamina, and situational awareness. There is no better way to build trust in a pilot’s aircraft or a pilot’s skills than to engage one-on-one.”

“We don’t want to go to war with Russia, and I don’t think they want to go to war with us, either,” USAFE Commander General James Hecker told the Air Force Times last July. “But we need to make sure that we have the forces capable of deterring them so that nothing bad will happen.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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“Don’t worry. There will definitely be airplanes for Ukraine,” Ole Egberg Mikkelsen, Denmark’s ambassador to Ukraine, told Ukrainian news outlet Mi-Ukraina on Sunday, according to Newsweek.

The confirmation comes days after the Nordic country marked the sale of two dozen of its F-16s to Argentina. Last month, Denmark announced it planned to divest its F-16 fleet as it modernizes with F-35s.

“In Denmark, we are about to change the generation of our fleet of combat aircraft with new F-35 aircraft,” Troels Lund Poulsen, Danish minister of defense, said April 16. “Therefore, I am very pleased that the Danish F-16 aircraft, which have served us well over the years and have been thoroughly maintained and technologically updated, are now being used in the Argentine Air Force. With the deal, we are strengthening the Danish-Argentinian defense cooperation, at the same time as Argentina becomes part of the global F-16 family.”

In late March, Poulsen outlined that Denmark would be donating 19 F-16s to Ukraine, where officials have long sought access to the fighter jet in order to modernize its air force and improve its defense ability following Russia’s invasion in 2022.

The first F-16 aircraft are expected to be delivered to Ukraine this summer.

“It is difficult to set a fixed timetable for the donation of F-16 fighter jets, because there are several conditions that must be met in order for Ukraine to use the donated aircraft,” Poulsen said in late February. 

• READ MORE: Norway to Send F-16s to Denmark for Ukrainian Pilot Training

Last week, the Netherlands delivered three F-16s to the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) in Romania for Ukrainian pilot training, Reuters reported.

Russia President Vladimir Putin contends that the F-16 “would not change the situation in Ukraine” and has vowed that the aircraft will be shot down by Russian military forces.

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The aviators graduated from elementary flight training Friday and were recognized in a ceremony marking the milestone. 

• READ MORE: First Ukrainian Pilots Expected to Finish U.S. F-16 Training By Summer

“RAF flying instructors have taught the pilots general handling, instrument flying, low-level navigation, and advanced formation flying to prepare the pilots for advanced fast jet flying training prior to F-16 conversion with coalition partners,” the RAF said. “On the ground they completed an aviation medicine course and high G-force centrifuge training. Babcock provided the Grob Tutor aircraft along with technical and operational support. Together with the RAF team they completed the training ahead of time with 100 percent aircraft availability.”

The pilots will now progress to advanced fast jet training and conversion to the F-16 with partner nations from the Air Force Capability Coalition, the RAF said.

At least a dozen Ukrainian pilots continue to train with the 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard (ANG) at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, with the first four expected to finish by May.

“I would like to congratulate these brave pilots on completing their initial training here in the U.K.,” British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said during Friday’s event. “Thanks to the world-renowned skills of the RAF, they have received some of the best training available and are now a step closer to joining the fight against [Russia President Vladimir] Putin’s illegal invasion.”

• READ MORE: First Ukrainian F-16 Pilots Finish Training in UK

On Wednesday, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said the Netherlands will be supplying Ukraine with advanced reconnaissance drones, as well as 350 million euros for F-16 ammunition, Reuters reported. The country, along with Denmark and the U.S., are planning to deliver the first of dozens of the fighters to Ukraine this summer.

Ukrainian defense officials have long sought access to the aircraft following Russia’s invasion in 2022.

“The conflict in Ukraine highlights the importance of air and space power, and the need to gain and maintain control of the air to defeat an enemy,” Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, RAF’s chief of the air staff, said during the ceremony. “I salute the courage and determination of these Ukrainian pilots.”

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NATO’s 50 million euro ($54.3 million) investment took five years to complete and included renovations to the base’s control tower, runways, hangars, and storage facilities. The project marks one of the alliance’s largest investments in Albania, which joined the alliance in 2009.

The airfield, which is located about 50 miles south of the country’s capital of Tirana, is set to serve Albania while also supporting NATO logistics, training and exercises.

• READ MORE: NATO Conducts ‘Find, Fix, Track, Target’ Exercise Over Poland 

The airbase’s reopening and resumption of aircraft operations was celebrated in a ceremony Monday, marking NATO’s increased footing in the region. During the event, pairs of U.S. F-16s and F-35s flew overhead while two Italian Eurofighters landed on the newly resurfaced runway. Albania, which does not operate fighter jets, participated by landing its Bayraktar TB2 drones.

“This is a base that (will add) another element of security for our Western Balkans region, which we all know that it is a region endangered from the threat and neo-imperialist ambitions of the Russian Federation,” Albania Prime Minister Edi Rama said during the event, according to a Reuters report.

• READ MORE: NATO Air Forces Conduct Aerial Combat Drills Over Estonia

Said Dylan White, NATO acting spokesperson, in a statement: “The airbase will serve as an important NATO air hub. The makeover of Kuçova Air Base is a strategic investment and shows that NATO continues to strengthen its presence in the Western Balkans, an area of strategic importance to the alliance.”

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The move comes less than two weeks after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy created a separate military branch devoted to unmanned system forces.

The small, multirotor Teledyne FLIR SkyRanger drones are manufactured in Waterloo, Ontario. They feature automated and autonomous navigation systems, which allow them to deploy surveillance for detecting and identifying enemy targets. They are also capable of carrying up to nearly 8 pounds of payload, including munitions.

• READ MORE: International Coalition to Supply Ukraine with Thousands of Drones

“These drones are critical for surveillance and intelligence gathering and can also be used to transport and deliver supplies,” the Canadian government said in a statement. “Canada is working with Ukraine on a training plan and delivery schedule, with delivery expected to begin this spring.”

Canada’s $95 million donation in military gear comes less than a week after it also pledged $60 million for setting up Ukraine’s F-16 fighter capability through supplies, spare parts, avionics, and ammunition.

• READ MORE: Canada Pledges $60 Million for Ukraine F-16s

“As we approach the second anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion, Canada stands firmly with Ukraine in defense of freedom and democracy,” said Bill Blair, Canada’s minister of national defense, in a statement. “In coordination with our allies and partners, we will continue to provide Ukraine with the military aid that it needs to fight and win this war. [This] announcement ensures that Ukraine has the drones it needs to detect and identify targets which are critical to Ukraine’s ongoing fight. Canada will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Following Russia’s invasion in February 2022, drones have provided a force multiplier for Ukrainian forces.

• READ MORE: Industry Minister: Ukraine on Track to Make 1M Drones in 2024

Earlier this week, for example, Ukrainian drone operators located a warehouse in southern Ukraine that housed Russian army T-72 and T-80 tanks prepositioned for a planned offensive. The drone pilots flew the armed drones through the warehouse doors left open and “systematically demolished the vehicles inside,” Forbes reported.

The war has turned Ukraine into a “giant war lab and confirmed the status of drones as the weapons of the future,” an Atlantic Council report said Wednesday. “With Ukraine no longer assured of further military aid from the U.S. and increasingly obliged to ration ammunition, drones are a cost-effective solution that plays to the country’s tech sector strengths.”

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The news comes as a timeline begins to emerge for when Ukraine might also receive the first fighter jets sought by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since Russia’s invasion in 2022.

In October, a small number of Ukrainian fighter pilots began training in F-16 fundamentals with the 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard (ANG) at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson. Called the “face of the USAF to the world,” the ANG wing has trained pilots from 25 countries to fly the F-16.

• READ MORE: NATO Conducts ‘Find, Fix, Track, Target’ Exercise Over Poland

At least a dozen Ukrainian pilots are  training in Arizona, CNN reported. The first four pilots are expected to finish by May, followed by a second group of four pilots who began training in January. The third group of four pilots is in English-language training, and all are expected to complete training by August, ANG spokesperson Captain Erin Hannigan told CNN.

“The training is going great,” Air National Guard Director Lieutenant General Michael Loh told Air & Space Forces magazine last week. “They’re flying F-16s solo every day.”

Last month, a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed the training remained on schedule and  was expected to range from five to eight months, depending on individual pilots’ skill level.

Ukrainian F-16 pilots coming on line this summer can expect to have fighter jets to fly when they return home, a Lithuanian official told Foreign Policy magazine last week. “I think that in June we will see them in Ukraine,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas told the magazine, citing a timeline that he said was confirmed during the Munich Security Conference. 

• READ MORE: Latvia to Spearhead Drone Coalition to Bolster Ukraine 

During a recent television appearance, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said he could not confirm the June timeline, the Kyiv Independent online newspaper reported.

“I can only confirm that the action plan is indeed being carried out,” Ihnat said. “Our partners are ready to hand over the planes to Ukraine.”

Ihnat said the aircraft were needed “as soon as possible” and that the country had a goal of operating them from Ukrainian runways. Shoring up infrastructure in order to protect the aircraft also remains a concern.

“Ideally, we would hide everything underground, as Iran does,” the Kyiv Independent reported. “[Or] build reinforced concrete storage facilities that would withstand ballistic missiles.”

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The drone capability coalition will operate within the framework of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group—a coalition of more than 50 countries tasked with coordinating military aid for Ukraine—which met in Brussels on Wednesday. The announcement comes two months after Latvia announced its role in spearheading  the coalition as part of a growing list of aid funneling into Ukraine two years after Russia launched its invasion.

“We are grateful to our British partners for their unwavering support. Drones play a vital role in modern warfare—they detect and destroy Russian armored vehicles, personnel, and even ships,” Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

• READ MORE: Latvia to Spearhead Drone Coalition to Bolster Ukraine

While officials did not immediately say how many drones would be delivered, Latvian defense minister Andris Spruds indicated the coalition’s eventual target.

“With [Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s minister of defense,] we will work towards the goal of delivering one million drones to Ukraine,” Spruds said Thursday in a message on X.

On land and at sea we’ve seen the impact drones are having in Ukraine.

That’s why, as the largest supplier of drones to Ukraine, the UK will lead an international coalition to get thousands more onto the battlefield pic.twitter.com/cnpEl5twGG

— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) February 15, 2024

Under the new initiative, the U.K. will scale up and streamline provision of first person view (FPV) drones to Ukraine. 

The FPV drone capability of providing situational awareness to operators has been considered highly effective in targeting enemy positions, according to British military officials.

“The U.K. continues to do all we can to give Ukraine what it needs—upping our aid to 2.5 billion [pounds] this year and committing 200 million [pounds] to manufacture drones, making us Ukraine’s largest drone supplier,” U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said.

• READ MORE: Canada Pledges $60 Million For Ukraine F-16s 

“We know, of course, that drones are very important in this war,” Dutch Defense Minister Kasja Ollongren told Reuters. “That’s why we are joining the drone coalition that Ukraine has started together with Latvia, together with other countries, to make sure that we do just that—increase production, use the latest technology, and provide exactly what Ukraine needs.”

The race to production hasn’t gone unnoticed by Russia. On Thursday, Russian defense company Izhevsk Unmanned Systems, maker of Kub and Tachyon drones, said it was expanding its production facility and adding 360 jobs in order to ramp up output of its drones “10 times in 2024,” TASS Russian news agency reported.

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