Ukraine conflict: Kyiv seeks retired NATO pilots for F-16s

Two of the first F-16s for Ukraine were presented by Zelensky on 4 August. Ukraine is now looking for retired NATO pilots to fly the type on its behalf while its own pilots go through training and gain experience. (Getty Images)

The government in Kyiv is soliciting retired NATO pilots with experience on the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft to fly for Ukraine.

US lawmaker Senator Lindsey Graham disclosed the proposal following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on 12 August.

“If you are a retired F-16 pilot and you're looking to fight for freedom, they will hire you here,” Graham said, adding, “[Ukraine is] 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.”

Graham's disclosure came days after the first 10 of a pledged 79 F-16AM/BM Block 15 Mid-Life Update (MLU) jets arrived in Ukraine in early August. In addition to these combat-capable aircraft, an undisclosed number of ground-based trainers are being provided to serve as decoys.

Ukrainian pilots are being trained abroad in the United States, the Netherlands, and at the European F-16 Training Center in Romania. Under an accelerated course, Ukrainian pilots should be qualified to operate the F-16 in as few as five months, compared with the usual eight. However, it has been reported that throughput has been slowed as the trainees have struggled with some aspects of technical English needed to operate the F-16, and this has resulted in the slower-than-hoped-for arrival of the first jets.