U.S. Military Will Train Ukrainian Pilots to Fly F-16s at Arizona Base

 The war in Ukraine is now making its way to the United States.

The Pentagon has announced the U.S. will train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 jets at Morris Air National Guard base located in Tucson, Arizona.

Before coming to Arizona, the Ukrainian pilots will first undergo English language training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

Training will begin in October, and after the training concludes, both the US and Europe will move to transfer dozens of F-16s to Ukraine.

The Pentagon’s decision to train Ukrainian pilots in Arizona came after Biden’s recent conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday.

 

US to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s this October in Arizona https://t.co/T0eS3QCRES pic.twitter.com/QZ7RI2ZA6g

— The Hill (@thehill) August 25, 2023

Per AP:

The U.S. will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, beginning at an Air National Guard base in October, the Pentagon said Thursday.

The training is part of a U.S. and European effort to get the advanced fighter jets to Ukraine for its defense against invading Russian forces.

The announcement came as President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to commemorate Ukraine’s Independence Day and to reiterate support for the effort to fight back Russian troops.

This isn’t the first time the United States has allowed Ukrainian military officers to train at U.S. bases.

In January, Ukrainian military officers landed at Fort Sill in Oklahoma in order to train to operate U.S. Patriot missile systems.