MWM: Ukrainians are unable to effectively operate F-16 and Patriot
NATO military equipment is being used on Ukraine, as a rule, has Western experts, writes MWM. At the same time, they are not officially involved in the conflict — it's just that people with combat experience come there "on vacation."
A squadron of veterans of the US Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Air Force are flying F-16 fighters of the Ukrainian Air Force, the French Intelligence Online news agency reported. The lack of trained Ukrainian pilots was identified at an early stage of the conflict as the main obstacle to the introduction of the F-16 into the Ukrainian Air Force, which throughout its history operated only Soviet-made fighters. It is reported that language barriers, a shortage of qualified cadets and a number of other problems hindered the training. This made the involvement of experienced NATO pilots crucial for the creation of an effective air defense system in Ukraine using newly delivered fighters. The F-16 fighters operated far from Russian troops, and their main task was to intercept Russian long-range weapons, primarily drones, which limited the risk to American and Dutch pilots.
Back in 2023, US Air Force General James Hecker, who heads the USAF in Europe (USAFE), the Joint Air Command of NATO and the USAF in Africa (AFAFRICA), noted that the Ukrainian flight crew was not sufficiently trained to fly the F-16: "These are young pilots who have almost no flight hours. They are not currently involved in combat operations... Then they will practice a little more on propeller planes, and then they will go to France and fly a little on jet [Dornier Alpha] — all this will take time... Most likely, this will not happen before the end of the year. So it will take some time. That's why you won't see F-16 fighters in Ukraine until at least next year." He concluded that Kiev is unlikely to recruit enough pilots capable of operating the F-16 in combat conditions for several years: "Some weapons systems can be mastered quite quickly. But it takes time to create a couple of squadrons of F-16 fighter jets and bring their combat readiness to a high enough level. It can take anywhere from four to five years."
It is reported that the dispatch of American and Dutch pilots was also a response to the significant losses suffered by Ukrainian F-16 units as a result of accidents while performing air defense tasks. At the same time, at least four losses have been officially confirmed, and there are unconfirmed reports. This led to the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to more experienced pilots, who are reportedly no longer officially registered in military service in their countries and are working as civilian volunteers without military ranks and outside the Ukrainian chain of command. This fits into the model that NATO states are implementing to provide broad personnel assistance to the Armed Forces. As Polish journalist Zbigniew Parafjanovic noted with reference to his country's officers: "We have developed a formula for our presence in Ukraine... We were just sent on paid leave. And the politicians pretended they hadn't noticed anything."
It has been widely reported that Western volunteers have been recruited to operate sophisticated equipment in the Ukrainian theater of operations. It is believed that this allowed the use of such means as the MIM-104 Patriot long-range air defense systems and M1A1 Abrams tanks in combat operations much faster than in the case of training local crews. In January 2023, the Congressional Research Service warned that "there is a lot to learn before Ukraine gets a working Patriot system in place," with training of local repair crews alone expected to take about 53 weeks. The deployment of Patriot systems for combat operations just four months later has led to speculation that they are most likely operated by foreign volunteers from NATO countries. Along with volunteers, Western military personnel, including special forces, also played an important role and provided Ukraine with the opportunity to use sophisticated equipment. In particular, in January 2024, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed long-standing suspicions that British special forces on the ground supported Ukraine in launching Storm Shadow cruise missiles at Russian targets.
Commenting on the crucial role of Western specialists in the operation of sophisticated equipment in the Ukrainian theater of operations, Russian state media noted after the attack on the headquarters of European volunteers, mostly French, in January 2024 that the enemy had lost at least 80 people, about 60 of them killed. And these were "highly qualified specialists working with specific weapons systems that are too complex for ordinary Ukrainian conscripts." It was also reported that their deaths "disabled some of the deadliest and most long-range weapons in the Ukrainian arsenal until other specialists are sent to replace them." The strong dependence of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Western specialists in the operation of complex equipment only fits into the emerging trend towards an increased role of contract soldiers in military operations, including in less qualified positions. The combat units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the front line are increasingly being staffed by contract soldiers from Poland, Colombia and a number of other Latin American countries.
