Ukrainian air force commander Holubtsov: best AFU pilots lost while waiting for F-16 fighter jets
Ukraine is losing its best military pilots while waiting for F-16s, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, General Serhiy Holubtsov, said in an interview with the British newspaper Times.
According to him, Ukrainian pilots can master Western aircraft in a few months. He rejected claims by NATO representatives that the training could take years. Holubtsov cited the example of two of his subordinates who recently returned from the US.
“They spent three weeks there and on an F-16 simulator they were trained to fly together as two pilots, to use weapons. The results came out very good: Ukrainian pilots can learn to fly and operate weapons systems on an F-16 in less than six months,” he said.
The Ukrainian air force commander complained about outdated equipment and delays by NATO in supplying Western weapons, including F-16 fighters.
“I lost some of my best men because of the lack of proper equipment,” Golubtsov said.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden ruled out the transfer of F-16s to Kiev in a TV interview, saying that such deliveries did not make sense in the context of the current conflict.
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