03-08-2024, 10:32 AM
https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2024/0...ay/394264/
Well, there might be 4 Ukrainian pilots ready to go by May. 4. Speaks for itself. There are another 8 to be available by August. It would be nice to hope that the 4 early graduates will be given the means to stay "current". It might make sense to keep them as instructors if nothing else. The 12 pilots are not enough to "stand up" even a single squadron of F-16s, especially given that there are no pilots in that group with "lots" of F-16 time. Pathetic.
The US needs to "get real" here. If we expect Ukraine to succeed in the air, they need more like 60 pilots, not 12, to even have a reasonable chance of success. Otherwise, we are "planning to fail". Ukraine is going to lose pilots and aircraft. Hopefully not many, but mistakes are going to be made. It boggles the mind that lots of "serious" folks are going ahead with such a travesty. It may be that the people below the level of general officer regard this situation as "above their pay grade". If so, our military is in even worse shape than I feared. Lots of the "rank and file" have to know that the 12 pilots they are training are simply going to die to no purpose unless a significantly larger force is created. Granted, this is the Air Force, but even there "push back" isn't unknown. IMO lots of that is called for.
Well, there might be 4 Ukrainian pilots ready to go by May. 4. Speaks for itself. There are another 8 to be available by August. It would be nice to hope that the 4 early graduates will be given the means to stay "current". It might make sense to keep them as instructors if nothing else. The 12 pilots are not enough to "stand up" even a single squadron of F-16s, especially given that there are no pilots in that group with "lots" of F-16 time. Pathetic.
The US needs to "get real" here. If we expect Ukraine to succeed in the air, they need more like 60 pilots, not 12, to even have a reasonable chance of success. Otherwise, we are "planning to fail". Ukraine is going to lose pilots and aircraft. Hopefully not many, but mistakes are going to be made. It boggles the mind that lots of "serious" folks are going ahead with such a travesty. It may be that the people below the level of general officer regard this situation as "above their pay grade". If so, our military is in even worse shape than I feared. Lots of the "rank and file" have to know that the 12 pilots they are training are simply going to die to no purpose unless a significantly larger force is created. Granted, this is the Air Force, but even there "push back" isn't unknown. IMO lots of that is called for.