Poland’s F-16 Pilot Gap: 40 Pilots for 47 Jets
Poland’s Air Force reportedly has about 40 trained pilots for its 47 F-16 fighters, while at least 70 are needed to use the fleet effectively. The figures come from a Rzeczpospolita report; the Defence Ministry treats the number of trained pilots and instructors as classified.
Why There Are Too Few Pilots
According to the paper, training one F-16 pilot takes about two years, so the gap is slow to close. Only a few jet pilots graduated from the Air Force Academy in Dęblin last year. Some experienced F-16 pilots are also moving to the incoming F-35s. Pilots train first in Poland and then in the United States, so limited US training slots are another bottleneck.
What the Numbers Say
After one aircraft was lost in a crash last year, the fleet stands at 47. The paper cites estimates of at least 1.5 pilots per aircraft, which implies about 70 pilots for 47 jets. In other words, Poland has more aircraft than people able to fly them.
The Next Risk: Apache
Rzeczpospolita says a similar problem could emerge for the planned AH-64E Apache fleet, which could eventually require as many as 400 pilots.
Note
The figures are unofficial; Poland’s Defence Ministry keeps the data classified.
Originally reported by Envanter Medya.
