The Ukrainian Air Force will first use the long-awaited Western F-16 fighter jets in the West of the country to defend the skies from Russian attacks, said Corcoran in an interview with VOA. And as Ukrainian pilots and engineers get more comfortable with operating and maintaining them, these jets will move further East and participate in strikes on the front line. At the same time, the F-16s will become most effective only when used by the joint force teams in combination with other types of weapons and within integrated tactics.
During his more than thirty-year career in the U.S. Air Force, Corcoran started as a command pilot in the F-22 Raptor and F-15 Eagle, later became the Commander at the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, Nellis Air Force Base, and eventually the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force.
Before retiring in 2023, Corcoran was one of the Secretary of the U.S. Air Force's designated leads to interact with the Security Integration Group that was created by Pentagon to help in providing assistance to Ukraine. In May 2024, Corcoran and a delegation of retired American generals visited Kyiv. They met with the Ukrainian Air Force commanders and shared the NATO approaches on the F-16 integration and usage with them integration and usage.
In an interview with Voice of America Ukrainian Service journalist Maria Prus, he also said that Ukrainian military leaders need to go through the path of transition from the Soviet style of command to the US and NATO standards, where individual officers, including pilots, have more freedom in decision-making on the battlefield. Corcoran believes that Ukraine has a significant shortage of pilots and engineers, but he is more concerned about the security of Ukrainian air infrastructure for the F-16s, since these Western fighters will become the main target for Russia.
He also shared his assessments about the delays in training for the Ukrainian pilots in the US, about the vulnerability of Russian air defense and about whether other European fighters, such as the Mirage 2000 or Gripen, can strengthen the Ukrainian Air Force.
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