2 Ukrainian pilots conduct F-16 simulator evaluation at US military base.

A schematic diagram of the US Air Force F-16.

(AFP)

[Instant News/Comprehensive Report] U.S. officials confirmed that two Ukrainian pilots have conducted an F-16 fighter simulator assessment at the military base in Tucson, Arizona, in order to understand how long it will take to train them to fly the F-16, and the U.S. has approved Up to 10 pilots can be tested in Ukraine this month.

According to "NBC" report, U.S. officials said that the main purpose of this work is to improve the driving skills of Ukrainian pilots, and to assess how long it will take to arrange an appropriate training program. Military pilots will not fly any fighter planes during their stay in the United States and can only use simulators.

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Colin Kahl, undersecretary for policy affairs of the U.S. Department of Defense, said that the U.S. military estimates that Ukraine needs 50 to 80 F-16s to replace the existing air force, but since the U.S. has not yet decided whether to assist Ukrainian F-16s, it is meaningless to carry out systematic training .

Carr revealed that if the United States provides a brand-new production F-16, it will take 3 to 6 years to deliver to Ukraine.

If the refurbished F-16 is provided, it will be shortened to 18 months to 2 years. The current evaluation and training time is also about 18 months.

Carr pointed out that the cost of aiding the F-16 will be as high as 11 billion U.S. dollars (approximately NT$335.6 billion), which will consume a large part of the remaining funds for military aid.

It is understood that Ukrainian President Zelensky has repeatedly asked the US to provide F-16s, but US President Biden has also repeatedly rejected it.