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OpinionWe’re training Ukraine’s brave F-16 pilots — here’s what they need to keep fightingBy Mark Montgomery and Charles CorcoranPublishedMay 29, 2025, 3:35 p.m. ETDefense Minister Ruben

Brekelmans poses with pilots next to one of the last two promised F16 fighter jets ahead of its delivery to Ukraine at Volkel Air Base, on May 26, 2025.ANP/AFP via Getty Images

After years of delay, Ukraine’s Air Force is flying the F-16 fighter jets it’s received from NATO — and, during a training visit this month, we saw for ourselves how these “Vipers” are

remaking the battlefield both in and from the skies.

Ukrainian F-16s are striking Russian assets and engaging Russian aircraft, missiles and drones more effectively than the UAF’s old Soviet-era aircraft ever could.

However, Kyiv still needs help with maintenance, training and munitions to bring the full warfighting capability of the F-16 to the fight.

The Ukrainians now have a mix of Danish, Dutch and Norwegian Vipers, flown by English-speaking Ukrainian pilots who previously piloted Soviet-era aircraft like the MiG-29 and Su-27. 

With training from the United States, the Netherlands, Romania and other European partners, Ukraine’s F-16 pilots have done great work — especially in engaging Russian cruise missiles and

Iranian-designed Shaheed drones, taking pressure off ground-based defenders.

Some UAF pilots have already intercepted more than 20 missiles and drones.

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USS Harry Truman

To keep these Vipers in the air, Ukraine needs the “lifecycle maintenance” package that normally comes along with foreign military sales of US weapons systems: parts, test equipment,

maintenance stands and consumables like tires and filters — mundane requirements overlooked when the first planes were delivered.

The Western support plan also didn’t consider that an F-16 is not a MiG.

American technology and tactics make the F-16 ideal for “decentralized operations” — not for Soviet-style “close control” micromanagement from the ground.

Top to bottom, the UAF must revise its doctrine and tactics to fully exploit the Viper’s radar capabilities and agility — as well as the ingenuity of the humans operating it. 

That will require a cultural shift. Senior Ukrainian officers must buy in to the Western way of fighting, from strategic and operational planning to day-to-day tactical execution.

As we saw, the current cadre of Viper pilots gets it. The sooner their mindset takes root more broadly, the more success Ukraine will see on the battlefield. 

And while these are significant challenges, some help is on the way.

Just hours after Washington and Kyiv signed a critical minerals deal in early May, President Trump’s State Department approved a $310 million sale of equipment and training for F-16

modifications and upgrades; operation, maintenance and sustainment; spare parts and consumables; and software and technical documentation, as part of America’s investment in Ukraine’s

industrial development.

Also: The United States is reportedly giving Ukraine non-operational F-16s from its “boneyard” of retired aircraft — hulks without engines or radars that will provide much-needed parts to

keep the UAF jets in the air. 

Sweden has donated two Saab 340 airborne early-warning and control aircraft. These planes will drastically improve the overall air domain awareness for Ukraine’s F-16s and increase the

lethality of its entire integrated air and missile defense force. 

And critically, more Ukrainian pilots are being trained in the United States and Europe. To sustain combat operations for the long haul, squadrons should have about two pilots for every

aircraft — a ratio the Ukrainians woefully lack today.

But to put pressure on Russian air and ground forces, there’s more we can do.

First, the UAF needs a low-cost, air-to-air weapon to engage Moscow’s missiles and drones.

Ukraine’s Viper pilots now mostly use the AIM-9 Sidewinder for such missions. It’s expensive — more than 10 times the cost of a Russian drone — and Western stockpiles are low.

The Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System, a small, laser-guided rocket, is a far better option. They’re much cheaper than Russian long-range kamikaze drones, and an F-16 can carry 28 or

more of them — compared to only four AIM-9s — on a single sortie.

That means pilots can engage exponentially more targets on a given mission. 

The Ukrainians already use the APKWS in a land-based counter-drone mission. Washington and partner nations must quickly give the UAF all the hardware, software and tactical employment

guidance necessary to get it airborne, too. 

Next, Ukraine needs advanced electronic warfare self-protection pods for its F-16s. These systems, which usually include jammers and decoy elements, would help Ukraine’s F-16s evade Russian

defenses, allowing them to operate closer to the front lines.

Finally, Western countries transitioning from F-16s to F-35s, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, should open their warehouses for a “garage sale” — and the Ukrainians should pull some

18-wheelers up to their doors.

Almost none of these nations’ F-16 parts, consumables and maintenance gear will transition over to the F-35, so Ukraine can help clear out their clutter. 

Vladimir Putin has ramped up Russia’s deadly aerial attacks on Ukrainian civilians and cities — spurring Trump to explode, “He’s playing with fire!”

With a little extra support for Ukraine’s F-16s, Kiev can answer Moscow with some fire of its own.

Rear Adm. (Ret.) Mark Montgomery co-leads the Air and Missile Defense Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Charles Corcoran is an independent consultant

focused on national security and defense.

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