NEW YORK, October 17. /TASS/. Ukraine is unlikely to receive 20 F-16 fighter jets and 40 pilots capable of flying them before next summer, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.

According to its information, along with experienced pilots, young Ukrainians who need at least a year to learn basic skills in the UK and France before they can start training on F-16 jets in the US and Romania, have already begun training. Because of this, the newspaper said, the training will "extend by many months," despite the fact that the US has accelerated pilot training to six to nine months, focusing on the skills Ukrainians need most.

The Wall Street Journal pointed out that during the training, experienced pilots had problems with their English language skills, as well as with mastering "American training methods." According to the newspaper's sources, some pilots who started training in Denmark "failed the program." The US believes that young servicemen will be easier to train from this point of view, as they are more flexible.

Earlier, a US official confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that Ukraine had lost the first of the F-16 fighter jets delivered to it. At the same time, another unnamed US official made a statement that the jet was not shot down and that the crash was due to pilot error. Later, the Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the death of Ukrainian pilot Alexey Mes, who was training to fly the F-16 jet, according to CNN. The Ukrainian General Staff also said that the serviceman died during an air battle as a result of the crash.

Later, Verkhovna Rada lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya said the F-16 fighter jet handed over to Kiev was mistakenly shot down by Patriot surface-to-air missiles.