Summary American pilots are being recruited to help Ukraine's Air Force, following the tradition of foreign legion squadrons in WWI and WWII. Concerns arise about training foreign pilots to fly advanced F-16 jets, as Ukraine faces a shortage of trained Air Force personnel. Despite resistance from the Biden administration, US Senator Lindsey Graham is considering legislation to streamline the process for retired US pilots to assist Ukraine.
There are reports that the Ukrainians would be open to forming a modern version of World War II’s Flying Tigers or Eagle Squadron made of foreign citizens in the employ of the Ukranian Air Force while an international coalition trains Ukranian pilots. The latest announcement comes from US Senator Lindsey Graham, a former US Air Force lawyer. US Senator Lindsey Graham: “They Will Hire You Here” In remarks reported by Scripps News, US Senator Lindsey Graham, touring Ukraine said August 12, "If you're a retired F-16 pilot and you're looking to fight for freedom, they will hire you here.
They're going to look throughout NATO nations for willing fighter pilots who retired to come help them until they can get their pilots trained. So we're going to get these jets in the air sooner rather than later." One can listen to the Scripps News report below, including the loquacious US Senator’s comments: The problems are that the Ukrainian Air Force is losing trained pilots, and flying an advanced fourth-generation fighter like the F-16 instead of.