Originally Posted by
tartare
Supplying Ukraine with Gen 4 NATO fighters presumably not being practical due to training issues - despite their assertions they could learn to fly and fight an F-16 in a few weeks?
Not an original thought of mine, but I heard it argued that there had to be a distinction between peacetime training requirements and those during a war. In peacetime, training is comprehensive and exhaustive because that gives you the maximum capability for a given investment in personnel and equipment. In wartime, you cannot always afford to be maximally efficient in your use of people and equipment because there are more pressing constraints. Ukraine's military has shown itself to be remarkably effective and proficient compared to pre-war expectations; I think it would be a mistake to dismiss them out of hand when they say that they would be able to use a particular piece of equipment. Western nations have now (correctly IMO) stated that it is their intention to support Ukraine to a military victory. I think that we have to accept that there will be a cost to this and inefficiencies in the use of supplied equipment will be part of this.
Another point is that there is no way of knowing how the war will progress. At some point in a prolonged conflict, Ukraine will have to transition to unfamiliar equipment. Training for the equipment where lead-in times are longest (such as combat aircraft) should happen soonest. It may well be happening already for all that we know.