In 2011, Myrhorod hosted a training exercise called Safe Skies 2011, in which US pilots flew F-16s. As of now, the presence of F-16s in the Ukrainian Air Force has been decided and approved, and this will not be the first time these aircraft will operate in Ukrainian skies, Defence Express writes.
The joint exercise, Safe Skies 2011, was held for the first time and included the participation of the US National Guard and the Polish Air Force. These trainings were held in Myrhorod. During this exercise, the F-16C/D aircraft were deployed from a Ukrainian airbase, flying jointly with Ukrainian Su-27 and MiG-29 aircraft.
At that time, no serious difficulties were encountered in operating the F-16s at Soviet airfields, even taking into account the use of a tiled coating. The entire airfield staff made efforts to ensure that the joints between the tiles were of the proper quality, which was especially important for receiving Western aircraft.
Maintenance personnel provided aircraft maintenance using the limited resources that had been transferred to the C-17. Also, during the training, the US pilots improved their landing skills using an air finisher, which helps to reduce mileage.
During the training, joint flights were conducted with Ukrainian pilots in various types of aircraft. Exercises were conducted that included possible scenarios of a combat collision between an F-16 and a Su-27.
Ukrainian pilots also had the opportunity to test two-seat versions of the F-16, while American pilots flew Su-27UBs. It is worth noting that these flight sessions were more about demonstrating the capabilities of the aircraft than about real training.
