Edit for an update: Several ATACAMS strikes have taken place in Crimea. It seems that they can perfectly skip the air defence.
I disagree and you do not have any believable source. The systems are not Ukrainian and every nation has the right to operate their own equipment in their territory and in international airspace. They are also free to use the intelligence gathered as they see fit.
But enough of silly stuff, my guess is that such integration is going towards creating a balanced if not Ukrainian superior sky in the frontlines. Air defences, F-16s that should be soon arriving will be able to see and target with a minutes time with integrated systems.
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/04/25/european-trained-ukrainian-f-16-pilots-will-not-be-ready-until-late-2024_6669456_4.htmlWhole "F16 training" is a sham, ask any experienced pilot. Training program serves as a cover for a fact
that planes will be operated by western pilots
Regarding the date, yes it is well know, they are not going to put their beloved f16 out there with the hours of training of, for example, a Ruzzian pilot. I guess that after pilots with experience in F29 get one year of training in F-16 you are going to argue that now they are "western pilots"??
On your second statement... as usual, no credible source. I will give you one:
https://www.twz.com/this-is-how-long-it-would-really-take-ukraines-pilots-to-convert-to-f-16sFor experienced Ukrainian fighter pilots, a type conversion to the F-16 could resemble a typical FTU transition conversion course, known as TX.
“For a pilot with around 500 hours experience in a Western fighter, but that has never previously flown the F-16 — someone transitioning from the Hornet for example — without any breaks, working weekends, etc, they need 69 days to learn everything to safely employ the Viper in air-to-air and air-to-ground roles,”
“The answer initially would have to be based on building a new syllabus based on Ukraine’s specific needs and the threat scenario, and to then take that into combat would need anywhere between six and 12 months of training. It would still be risky, but that might outweigh the rewards.”
Why would they wait for a year to field the f16 if they were going to use "western pilots"? They would say that it took 2 months of training and then send the f16 + "western pilots" with a few years of experience in the jet. It
Regarding the integration, I have seen recently a tablet / ipad attached to an Ukrainian cockpit with battlefield information. My guess is that this information is going to be integrated properly. This means pilots will have view of all detected threats and radars and be able to be more effective in suppressing the Ruzzian air defences or avoiding them.
If you look at my previous posts quoting strategies, it seems that Ukraine / US have finally come to the conclusion that there are no shortcuts, they have to wage war as it has be done: first weaken, then attack. The opposite does not work. The air strategy for Ukraine perfectly fits this narrative and the content of the aid package does also support it.
Again, I expect to see from Ukraine more attacks on refineries - even crude exporting facilities after the US elections, more attacks on air defence systems to start clearing the air for the f16s and the Ukrainian aviation being more effective while the Ruzzian aviation starts either being grounded or start taking big loses.
