The matter comes on the heels of a request for the transfer of operating manuals and other materials related to the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. That request has not yet been officially signed by the U.S. State Department, Politico reports
Source: POLITICO
One Pentagon official, on condition of anonymity, put the coalition’s plans this way:
“The partners hope to begin training in Romania, scheduled to begin in October in conjunction with F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The first intake will include six to nine Ukrainian pilots. It will also include Romanian, Bulgarian and Slovakian pilots.”
Very interesting about the pilots from Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia. It seems that pilots from smaller NATO countries will form the backbone of the AFU’s F-16 pilots. The beginning of training in Romania may also indicate the forthcoming use of airfields in this country by Ukrainian F-16s.
The delay of the training procedure by the US State Department is most likely a bureaucratic procedure. Although, it is possible that Washington is now assessing the recent statement of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov:
“We have informed the US nuclear powers, Britain and France, that Russia cannot ignore the ability of these aircraft to carry nuclear weapons. No assurances will help here. The very fact that the AFU has such systems will be seen by us as a threat from the West in the nuclear sphere.”
The assessment is from the point of view of increasing the level of escalation in the Ukrainian conflict. The main thing for Washington is how it may affect the United States itself, namely its continental territory. The US is always ready to sacrifice its allies in Europe.
Let us remind you that the C and D versions of the F-16 fighters are adapted for the use of tactical nuclear bombs of the B-61 series. It is the F-16 C/D that Kiev intends to receive in the first batch of deliveries.
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