U.S. defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin is "standing by" to provide training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets if the aircraft are sent to Ukraine.
The company is ready to "backfill need as it arises with new F-16 builds," the company's chief executive, Frank St. John, told The Financial Times in an article published on Monday. Lockheed Martin would also be prepared to carry out "any modifications to F-16s as well as training, equipment and systems," he added.
Ukraine has long called for its Western allies to provide advanced fighter jets, and experts, as well as political leaders, agree that American-made F-16s are the most likely choice to upgrade Kyiv's air force.
They would be a significant step-up in capabilities for Ukraine, which currently operates an aging, Soviet-era fleet of aircraft.
No country has taken the plunge to provide fourth-generation aircraft, but several nations have formed a "fighter jet coalition," with an agreement appearing to be on the horizon.
The U.S. has signaled it will help train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16s, and that it would not prevent the third-party transfer of the jets to Kyiv.
But any move to provide training would be led by discussions between Ukraine and its Western backers, St. John told The FT.
Newsweek has reached out via email to the Pentagon for comment.
"I am very confident that Ukrainian pilots are going to master the F-16 and be able to use it very effectively in short order," St. John continued.
Earlier this month, NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, said the training of Ukrainian personnel on F-16s had begun, giving Western countries "the option to also decide to deliver the planes and then the pilots will be ready to fly them."
Kyiv's allies have been hesitant so far to take the step to provide F-16s. Experts, military officials and diplomats say supplying the jets is a longer-term commitment to keeping Ukraine's military operational than sending equipment such as tanks.
It also presents new challenges for supply chains, logistics, maintenance and making sure Ukraine has the infrastructure it needs to operate them. Having advanced fighter jets would not automatically grant Ukraine air superiority, experts have also warned.
Ukraine has requested military assistance and equipment to help with its ongoing counteroffensive, but these jets, if promised, would not arrive in time to figure into this concerted push against Russian forces.
There have also been fears that supplying jets would lead to an escalation in the conflict. In mid-May, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Alexander Grushko, said that Western countries furnishing Ukraine with advanced fighters would carry "enormous risks."
"In any case, this will be taken into account in all our plans, and we have all the necessary means to achieve the goals we have set," he told Russian state news agency, Tass.
Getting Ukrainian pilots up to speed on F-16s would be "retraining," rather than a process of learning the basics, Ukraine air force spokesperson, Yuriy Ihnat, told Ukrainian television earlier this month.
Ukraine would need around 100 Western aircraft, most of which should be F-16s, Ukraine's Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said in late May. Experts previously told Newsweek that although "any F-16s will make a difference," Ukraine would need up to 100 well-operated F-16s to make a significant difference.
