Lockheed ready to train Ukrainian pilots if Nato allies send F-16s to Kyiv

US defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin has said it stands ready to help Ukrainian pilots fly and maintain its F-16 fighter jets if Nato states agree to send them to help the country against Russian aggression. 

“We are standing by, ready to not only backfill need as it arises with new F-16 builds but also any modifications to F-16s as well as training, equipment and systems,” said Frank St John, chief operating officer.

He stressed that any decision would be made only as a result of discussions between Ukraine, the US and other western allies. Lockheed Martin, the largest US defence contractor by sales, is not directly engaged in the government talks. The company had historically provided training support to more than 16 countries, said St John.

Kyiv has lobbied heavily for the so-called fourth-generation aircraft to help bolster its air defences against Russian attacks. Nato countries remain in talks on whether to supply the jets to Ukraine.

The US government, which is unlikely to send any of its own F-16s, controls the jets’ re-export or third-party transfers from any country that operates them but signalled its backing for such a move last month. Some allies still fear that supplying the jets could risk an escalation of the conflict with Russia.

St John, who was speaking on the eve of the first Paris Air Show since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly 16 months ago, said Ukraine’s armed forces had shown an “incredible learning aptitude”. 

Lockheed weapons, including the guided multiple launch rocket system (GMLRS) and Javelin missiles, have played a prominent role on the battlefield.

The Ukrainians, said St John, had “very rapidly mastered the use of those systems and employed them with great effectiveness so 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”. 

Although any immediate training and support would take place in a third-party country, Lockheed could in the long term consider setting up a base in or close to Ukraine once the conflict ends.

“When these hostilities end, there will have to be a sustaining presence for training and maintenance and then the logical place would be for that to be in and around Ukraine,” said St John.

About 3,000 F-16s are in military service around the world. Lockheed plans to increase production of the jets at its site in Greenville, South Carolina, to four a month in the next couple of years.

The company expects increased demand for fixed-wing aircraft as well as helicopters in eastern Europe as governments in the region seek to move away from Soviet-era equipment. 

“We are in conversations with different countries across eastern Europe not only about their potential needs for equipment but also for the sustainment and training that would come after that,” said St John. 

Lockheed also wants to expand its supply chain internationally. The conflict in Ukraine has exposed slender military supply lines and often low national stockpiles after decades of “just in time” production.

It recently struck an agreement with Rheinmetall under which the German company will manufacture centre fuselages for the advanced F-35 jet. Portions of the F-16 aircraft are already being built in Poland. 

“Historically, the industry’s focus has been on finding efficiencies,” said St John. “But today’s new world reality highlights the need to boost capacity with agility and to develop greater long-term resilience in the supply chain across the US and internationally.”

While this would increase costs for defence manufacturers, he said the new approach “opens the door for new industrial partnerships in Europe, the UK and beyond”.