TUCSON, Ariz. — The first Ukrainian pilots to train on F-16 fighter planes finished their training in Tucson in the last several weeks.
Three pilots have graduated from the the "B-course" — the basic F-16 pilot course — at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, according to Task and Purpose. A fourth pilot is expected to graduate shortly and an additional eight pilots are in different phases of the F-16 training pipeline, according to the publication.
Politico first reported the graduation last week; the Arizona National Guard would not confirm specifics "out of abundance of caution for their safety."
The pilots will now return to Europe for additional training. The B-course teaches the basic skills needed to fly and fight the jet, however additional mission-specific training is needed. In the U.S. Air Force, a new pilot would graduate the B-course and then learn the specific mission of their squadron, for instance how to defeat an enemy's air defenses.
Ukraine is scheduled to receive more than 60 F-16s from Belgium, Denmark Norway, the Netherlands and Norway. All of those countries have been flying F-16s for decades and have the advanced instructors needed to round out the Ukranian pilots' training.
The Ukranian pilots were trained by the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Wing, which has dubbed itself "the face of the USAF to the world" as it has trained pilots from 25 different countries to fly the F-16.
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