Posted on Mar 16, 2023
Poland to Send Four MiG-29 Jet Fighters to Ukraine
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I'm hearing from other sources that the number may be up to 12.
Poland to Send Four MiG-29 Jet Fighters to Ukraine
Posted from wsj.com
Ukraine
Russia
Poland
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 1
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I can see those lasting a couple days before Ukraine shoots down their own planes. They need the F-16. Something completely dissimilar to what is in the air now to really make air superiority work.
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Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
Seriously?? They know how to fly Mig-29s now. If we gave them F-16s they'd probably lose them all while trying to learn how to fly it.
There are reports of some Ukrainians being here in the US being evaluated on their ability to transition to F-16s, but those few are the cream of their air force, not the average pilots who would be flying in combat.
There are reports of some Ukrainians being here in the US being evaluated on their ability to transition to F-16s, but those few are the cream of their air force, not the average pilots who would be flying in combat.
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PO3 Shayne Seibert
Since Russia is flying Mig-29s, the chance of friendly fire downing their jets is pretty high. If they fly a different airframe, there is a better chance of keeping their planes in the air. It's not like they will get a squadron of F-16s anyway. They can't afford them, and I don't think they will be in any arms package, so the pilots they've sent may be the only ones flying them.
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COL Randall C.
I'm with Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen on this one. They haven't trained on them and have to learn them. I'll defer to him (being an Air Force pilot) about the difficulty of learning a new airframe (sure, the overall concept of flight mechanics stay the same, but just learning where the button to do something and memorizing it is going to take a while).
Additionally, the days of air-to-air combat being 'visual' are far past regardless of what the Top Gun movies are showing. Sure, there's an occasional story here and there, but the primary means of engagement will be via radar, IFF and other technologies that could care less what you "look like".
F-16s MAY be in the future ... after the pilots that Ukraine sent to the US are trained in flight and sent back. Maybe Ukraine will send another 'class' to be taught to expand them, but these are future problems, not 'right now' problems.
According to Luke Air Force Base*, the F-16 course (called the Basic Course, or B-Course) is nine months long (assuming you're training someone who has finished basic). I can forsee the training being a bit more difficult unless the Ukrainian pilots are fluent in English or the instructors are fluent in Ukrainian.
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* https://www.luke.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/358711/train-f-16-pilots-lukes-mission/
Additionally, the days of air-to-air combat being 'visual' are far past regardless of what the Top Gun movies are showing. Sure, there's an occasional story here and there, but the primary means of engagement will be via radar, IFF and other technologies that could care less what you "look like".
F-16s MAY be in the future ... after the pilots that Ukraine sent to the US are trained in flight and sent back. Maybe Ukraine will send another 'class' to be taught to expand them, but these are future problems, not 'right now' problems.
According to Luke Air Force Base*, the F-16 course (called the Basic Course, or B-Course) is nine months long (assuming you're training someone who has finished basic). I can forsee the training being a bit more difficult unless the Ukrainian pilots are fluent in English or the instructors are fluent in Ukrainian.
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* https://www.luke.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/358711/train-f-16-pilots-lukes-mission/
Train F-16 pilots – Luke’s mission
Click to find out more!
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