Were training Ukraines brave F-16 pilots heres what they need to keep fighting

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.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, ...