"US will now Train Ukraine Pilots to Fly F-16s" Topic

Saw it on the news for a couple of days now. Actually, this could be very important move to provide the Ukraine CAS & CAP vs. the Russians. The US finally changed its mind, but as usual it is a bit too late. Like it has been with much support of all types to Ukraine. E.g. US M1A1 MBTs could have been there months ago.

NATO will assist with these new assets. E.g. probably the Ukraine's pilots will train in Germany. And some in NATO do fly F-16s. However, it will probably 6-12 months before these F-16s will be in combat with the Russians.

Hopefully like the M1s these both will not be too few too late … As I have said IMO and others the US has been dragging its feet throughout this war. When it comes to sending timely support it large numbers …

UK are ready to train pilots immediately. Whats has held UK and other countries back is that they need approval from the US to even train pilots on the F16. So now that US have given its permission European countries can start training immediately.

US sources claim pilots can be trained in four months. Norway and other countries have F16 ready to deliver to Ukraine as soon as Ukraine can have them.

There will of course also take some time to train ground crews but theoretically F16 could be fighting the Russians in four months from now.

But more realistically is six months I would guess.

Word has it at Japan has offered training at it's "School for Kamikaze." A school with few alumni but plenty of political support.

Curious. How the H can UK Train Pilots on F16 ? Far as I am aware, we don't have any! Simulators, Yes! Bemused.

I am NOT a pilot. never been… just passenger on light A/C… but had Control on occasion. Simulators provide 'Brain' input… very needed for Modern aircraft. But… actual Flying… IS 'Seat Of The Pants'! A/C not stressed for much! But Dive, pens, etc. would rise! Bank… and they would go sideways! I cannot comprehend HOW simulator COULD do Barrel Rolls or High G? Need a plane! Yes, UK HAS Trainers… but maybe not F16!

I was informed that, 45 ex-Danish & Dutch F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcon fighter jets will be delivered to Ukrainian Air Force as an attrition replacement for its lost MiG-29s during the war with Russia. SABCA in Belgium will overhaul & upgrade the aircraft before delivery.

Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch, May 20, 2023.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

British PM Rishi Sunak and Dutch PM Mark Rutte agreed that they would work to create an international coalition to provide 🇺🇦 with a combat air capability, providing support for everything from pilot training to the purchase of F-16 fighter jets

Special Kherson Cat, May 17, 2023

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

Yes, that is also what I had heard soledad & Druzhina … NATO members will make this happen.

Word has it at Japan has offered training at it's "School for Kamikaze." A school with few alumni but plenty of political support.

I don't think so … they are on our side this time. They don't do that anymore. Try to keep up, old boy … there is a war going on …💂‍♂️💂‍♂️

Zelensky's "stone soup" strategy to obtain ever more weapons from NATO continues to be a winner for him.

JSchutt doesn't mean literal training by the Japanese. He is following a typical Russian line – when a weapon system is proposed to be given to Ukraine it is called a dangerous provocation, after it is announced the weapon system is rubbished. In this case JSchutt predicts (or hopes) that all the F-16 pilots will die as it is "suicidal" to go up against the mighty Russian Air Force.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

Putang will cry wolf again. But what else do we expect him to do?

JSchutt. I truly wonder why you are so pro Russia and anti Ukraine. You claim to be American (which I find hard to believe) But why? A communist dictatorship and American archenemy attack an neighbor and you applaud it. That is not something I feel your "average American" would like?

Even if many Americans disagree with the support, Americans usually root for "the underdog". You do quite the opposite, why?

JSchutt doesn't mean literal training by the Japanese.

I knew that … my comments were hyperbole … Some don't get my skewed sense of humor. 😎

soledad +1

From Military.com :

Ukraine's ADA –
link

Word has it at Japan has offered training at it's "School for Kamikaze." A school with few alumni but plenty of political support.

Meanwhile, the Russian Air Force has spent a good number of months trying to fly Iranian-made "Kamikaze Drones" into various parts of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

On the other hand, it is also rumoured that the Russian security services have opened their own "Special Flying Academy" in Moscow, specialising in un-assisted flight. The academy premises are located in the 6th floor of an impressive building, with nice large windows.

Griefbringer +1

+1 Soledad been wondering about that as well.

+2 Soledad

@soledad
The answers to your questions do not lie here but in researching those questions yourself from a variety of diverse sources. You will not find reliable information or opinions here to puzzle out a truth. Some thought starters:
What is the history of Ukraine post WW2.
Is Ukraine a NATO country?
Why were overtures by Russia to keep NATO out of Ukraine as a security buffer repeatedly ignored?
Is NATO an entity to promote peace or does it obstruct Diplomatic solutions?
Is Ukraine in the European Union?
Is it OK to supply money and munitions to fight a proxy war between other countries?
How long was the Donbas repeatedly shelled by Ukraine as part of what is really a Civil War?
What were the Minsk Agreements; who admitted they were a ruse to militarize Ukraine?
Where biological weapons facilities discovered in Ukraine?
Did forces of Ukraine repeatedly bombard and assault the Zaporizhzhia Ukrainian Nuclear Plant?
Does the Ukrainian adjunct paramilitary Azove Battalions subscribe to Nazi ideology?
Why is there so little interest in who destroyed the Nord Stream pipeline?
What countries objected to the UN discovering who destroyed the Nord Stream Pipeline?
Why is the Russian Language and culture being canceled inside Ukraine?
Why are Orthodox Churches in Ukraine being looted/burned and Monastic Monks arrested?
Why is it impossible to determine the dispositions of money and munitions given to Ukraine?
Why were diplomatic efforts from 3rd parties repeatedly derailed by elected and non elected EU and US bureaucrats?
How many elected EU politicians have been voted out of office by their citizens who are not keen on this conflict?

Citation needed. Everywhere. Frankly most of the arguments / statements are just a bit sad really. Kremlin disinformation firehose.

Russia invaded Ukraine a sovereign nation which has every right to request aid and assistance from the international community and do what is necessary to ensure the security.

Why are Orthodox Churches in Ukraine being looted/burned and Monastic Monks arrested?

Why are protestants being being oppressed and murdered in Russian occupied parts of Ukraine?

ROU +1

The answers to your questions do not lie here

JSchutt, you were asked questions – it is up to you to answer them.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

How many elected EU politicians have been voted out of office by their citizens who are not keen on this conflict?

There have been a fair number of parliamentary elections in EU member countries since February 2022, and several of those have resulted in the change of the ruling party (or more likely a ruling coalition of parties), but to my knowledge the conflict in Ukraine has not been a major issue in any of the elections. According this website:

parties-and-elections.eu

parliamentary elections have been in this period held in Malta, Hungary, Slovenia, France, Sweden, Italy, Latvia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Greece (listed in time order).

That said, it is certainly true that there are lots of EU citizens that are not keen on this conflict. They are not keen on seeing Ukraine, an independent and sovereign country, invaded by Russia. They are not keen on seeing Ukrainian citizens brutally treated by the Russian military. They are not keen on seeing Ukrainian civilian infrastructure being repeatedly attacked by Russian weapons. They are not keen on millions of Ukrainian civilians being forced to flee from their homes due to the Russian invasion.

Are not most ethnic Ukrainians Orthodox? Yes there are some that are part of the Papal See but they too mostly use the Eastern rite.

I believe that is all correct … And those go aways back in history in many cases. E.g. like in the former Yugoslavia …

Are not most ethnic Ukrainians Orthodox?

Yes, but organisationally there has been a bit of a schism between them, as there are at least two Orthodox church organisations.

One of these is a branch of the Russian Orthodox church, which is subservient to the Moscow Patriarchate. And then there is a more recently established local Orthodox church organisation, which has is own Kiev Patriarchate.

Due to the actions of the Moscow Patriarchate (and especially its leader Kyrill) from February 2022 onwards, a number of parishes in Ukraine have re-aligned themselves from the Moscow Patriarchate to the newer Kiev Patriarchate.

I have to admit that I am not an expert on this topic, so there might be some further complications on the subject.

Seems in many religions they are "splits", schisms, etc. again that go back hundreds of years in some cases. There must be a moral there … I just can't think of it …