Where NATO’s fighter pilots are trained
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- čas přidán 9. 11. 2023
- There’s something that fighter pilots from Belgium, Denmark, Germany and 11 other NATO Allies have in common: their flying careers started in Texas, USA.
That’s where the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) programme has been training pilots since the early 80s, when a number of countries decided to found the programme at Sheppard Air Force Base. While conceived of as a cost-saving measure, giving Allies the chance to pool resources in the resource-intensive task of training new fighter pilots, this training has since become a place for students and instructors to pass on tactics and form multinational relationships that will span their careers. Allies contributing to this training are Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Throughout the course, students learn the fundamentals of flight, progressing from ground school to the prop-driven T-6 Texan trainer - and finally to the T-38 Talon, a supersonic jet trainer that prepares them for the physical and mental strain of flying tactical aircraft. With 12-hour working days and plenty of bookwork to supplement the flying, this course ensures that only the most skilled and most dedicated graduate serve as fighter pilots in their country’s air forces.
This video follows Royal Danish Air Force Lieutenant ”Bun” and Belgian Air Force Lieutenant Jade. Having since completed the programme, ‘Bun’ is now training to fly C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, while Jade is preparing to fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Future generations of Belgian pilots will also have the chance to fly the F-35 Lightning II, as Belgium is in the process of adding these assets to its fleet. The first F-35A jet will enter service at Luke Air Force Base in the United States in 2024, and at Florennes Air Base in Belgium from 2025 onwards.
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The ceremony where they find out what aircraft they will fly is awesome
What is it? The Ceremony so I can look it up
There are TONS of "Drop Night" videos on You Tube for the various classes. I am a retired AF Colonel, and I LOVE watching them - makes me realize there is a new generation of tigers out there to keep the traditions going.
@@scootertooter6874 Thank you for your service, Sir!
Bro, IM hyped!! It's frickin sick!!!
yeah if I ever joined your airforce it would be like "you are flying the militaries only Cessna 172 with a flying banner" and I'm like 🙃
Can we just take a moment to appreciate all those pilots flying A400, C130 or C-5? Much less glamour, but maybe even more vital than all the cool.fighter pilots?
Yes!! Well said! Their contribution is crucial …! Will always be a tremendous need for pilots of A4OO , C13O etc 😍💛🙏
And all the Rotocraft Pilots too, Apache, Tiger, Stallion, Chinook, Hip, Cobra, EC/H-145, Gazelle, ...
I peronally think that logistical military aviation is way more interesting.
And mindblowing af.
The amount of tonnage able to fly .. that is just .. absolutely insane ..
Fr I respect those AC-130 pilots and cargo pilots, it's a tough job
One here all in favor of the C-130.
That pilot that got the f-35 was exploding with awesome.
If only he knew how bad constructed that airframe is. Eagle guy and Viper girl got lucky.
@@bjrnchrstn Viper girl can only fly F-16 (43), We Belgians don't have any other fighter jet than that. There are (34) F-35 on order but ain't coming for quite awhile.
@@bjrnchrstn lol. It's 2023 and we still have these guys believing that F-35 is crap. I'll bet on the F-35 against any airframe in existent.
@@cursedcat281 probably subscribers of Pierre Sprey
@@cursedcat281 it's only tards, russian and chinese bots that think that the F35 is crap.
I want to take a moment to express my sincere appreciation for the excellent content that NATO consistently shares regarding military matters.
The female fighter pilot overcoming all odds. Reminds me of Top Gun Maverick.
General Mark Milley sends his regards.
I hope this alliance will never break, it brought so much more security to all member state!
@@DarthVader20201 I wish that lady fighter God Speed, however I remember that even for the Tornados, there was a rumor the Italian Air Force lowered a lot the physical bar, to be able to use female pilots. I hope that is not the case and those girls were not just there for showcase, as everybody's safety may depend on them being able to execute their job at the level that is necessary.
Congrats to all of you, Young Generations of NATO Pilots. As a former Pilot student at Reese AFB - Texas, in 1981-82 ( the Joint NATO Fighter Pilots was still a Project at the time) I graduate with the Class 82/07. I still remember my Graduation Day and I could feel the excitement these Jong Pilots felt on “their day”. What an amazing experience was flying with the T37 (in use in those days) and the T38. Even better was the Fighter Training School in Holloman AFB (New Mexico). Form a former Italian Air Force Pilot to all you I forward my strong respect for such an achievement and may the sky reward you with all the best. Good luck and Fly High. Regards.
What plane did you get after graduation?
Probably an f16 because he is dutch@@topgunm
The one about to fly the f-35 😂😂😂
On a daily basis, as a Navy student pilot, I interact with fellow students from Spain, Italy, France, etc, and I have the utmost respect for them. Considering you “lose 50% of your brain power when you hop in the cockpit”, these guys not only overcome that, but do it in a non-native language. It’s humbling, and I’m glad they’re on our side.
I was an aircraft mechanic (crew chief) on A-10s at Myrtle Beach AFB. I did my initial training at Shepard AFB in 1985. Lots of terrific memories and wonderful people..students and instructors. Myrtle Beach and many of the bases I visited TDY for exercises like Victorville , Barbers Point NAS in Oahu were closed down. Lackland and Shepard are the only 2 left I know!
Nice to see Shepard still going strong! Congrats to all these new pilots!
This truly helps you understand the enormity of the USA contribution to the NATO alliance.
Yes but in the end it is a team effort.
True, but worthwhile remembering each country pays for itself and brings its own aircraft.
It also comes as a benefit to the US that the member states decided to enter an alliance with them, instead of creating a completely independent one of their own, which would consequently have led to the necessity and the creation of equal military forces for self-defense and counterbalance. It turned out to be a win-win situation for everyone without another arms-race.
What this video misses is that Canada does the same thing. The Portage La Prairie and CFB Cold Lake flight training schools train pilots all across NATO including US, UK, Singapore, etc.
it is not free - these countries pay the usaf
Wonderful to have others who believe in freedom and order training in Texas, becoming acquainted with a free world community. Welcome to America, friends. I love the positive comments.
Greetings from Hellenic Air Force. I was there 23 years ago......
My cousins son Casey was top of his class as a NATO fighter pilot and went on to become one of the first F-22 raptor pilots.. Now flying for Alaska airlines 👨✈️ Pretty big accomplishment for a quiet humble farm kid from Oregon..
That’s a lot of T38s! Those things were awesome from the maintenance side. Damn near unbreakable
My father was there as a member of the Royal Dutch Airforce, in the early 50's flying the T6 and later the P-51D...
It's so gratifying to see these young people who are so dedicated to protecting the world. God bless them all
protecting their country ...... in a different country
Great exchange at Sheppard AFB and Wichita Falls, Texas! My Dad was stationed there 3 times during my US Military Family career. Salute!
"Hometown"
"French Belgium"
lmao
I live under a common path taken by the Belgian air force, Jade has probably flown over me. Awesome!
Greetings from Brazil, I just wish you all the very best and I also wanna say thank you for your service, you guys makes the skies safer and the world a better place. Keep up the good job.
To think that these countries have came together to support each other. What an amazing thing to be apart of.
Thank you, now i can't choose in which branch i want to serve in.
Stoya's gonna make a great fighter pilot! 👏 👏 👏
I love to see that they are all such good friends and teammates!
this is so interesting! maybe i´ll choose that path.
Impresionante. Enhorabuena a todos estos jóvenes que persiguen su pasión.
I love how they have slides for the pilots. Jade "Spunky" Weakness is closing the canopy xD
Awesome! I love that they get that camaraderie and the chance to support and celebrate each other during training.
I imagine that since they are trained on the same or similar tactics, if they were ever call upon to fight side-by-side in a real war, that would help greatly to allow multi-nation squadrons.
That IS the point. :)
I loved the fact that they get to see what jet they pilot. I can only imagine how exciting that could be!
Yes, Texus sounds exactly what I would have said. My dad's best friend, old german air force guy, used to train there.
Awesome video! The best part was seeing the excitement of the students, when they find out what aircraft they will ultimately be assigned to. Super cool!! Thank you so much for sharing this video. I really enjoyed it. Have a great day. 😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
This is an amazing and emotional film. I just realized you're doing this training here in my amazing state of Texas.
I got to tour the base, get to go in all of the buildings shown, and even fly their T-38 sim, and guys, it's awesome
love the folks at ENJJPT! missing sheppard everyday!
As an American and New Yorker I grew up in the shadows of the twin towers and my dad, an immigrant from Ireland, worked on the construction of those towers so I was deeply touched when NATO invoked article 5 for the first time and only time so far in its 70 year history. I am also a dual US/EU citizen and strong supporter of NATO, US and EU. Long live NATO, Slava Ukraine and welcome Finland and Sweden to the family. I support Ukraine joining NATO.
You have expressed the sentiments of so many of us !
That's a pretty sweet way to learn what your fighter will be
The F-35 Lightning II is the most advanced ATF
When I watched the assignment of pilots to specific types of planes, I couldn’t help but think of the sorting hat ceremony in Harry Potter 😄
truly inspirational!!
Goose bumps!
We've all seen how UKR has been able to survive just and how important that has been. It's a really tough job for these people, excellence isn't demanded, it's a requirement, a requirement to win through complete perfection at all times
The F5 is so beautiful
we are NATO! best wishes to young pilots from Croatia
I really want to join the royal Dutch airforce hopefully in a couple years I'll be here :)
Not just uniformity in skillset and performance but a sense of knowing the relationship between their loyalty to their individual country and to that of the Coalition. You can't buy or make that sort of growth. It has to be instilled and encouraged from within. What a great video!!!
Thanks for watching and leaving such a nice comment! Glad you enjoyed the video and its message.
Love and glory to the Alliance from Austria! I hope we'll be part of NATO soon.
Absolutely!
That would be incredible.
If the Ukraine war won't do it, what will it take for Austria to join NATO? Or for Austria to properly support Ukraine, which doesn't require NATO membership.
wird zeit
I really hope so but I just don't see it happening. Your government isn't even tough enough towards Russia. But, let's see in the future...
That Belgian girl really has the right spirit and drive =). That's why she will be one of the first Belgian Pilots, transfering from the F16 to the F35.
Looks interesting and i can imagine it having a positive effect on a fighter pilot . Regards from Sweden
The moment where the whole class picks up Jade to celebrate with her 😂🥳
Fantastic
All learning in the same place is a very good thing - uniform knowledge for all !
Together strong! Greetings from TR
Absolutely awesome, thank you. Loving NATO even here from the Czech Republic!
video kept a good focus on Lt. Jade! Stunningly beautiful with a nice smile.
Looks like real life Top Gun
The best of the best of the best just like in MIB, all jokes aside, respect, big respect!
I just love this video
There is a holiday inn in Trenton Ontario next to the RCAF base with a CF 5 stuck in the lawn like that T38
Nice video - and thank you for guardian our sky over not just over Europe! Greeting from Czech rep
Woooooo! 🎉
With love, from America. 🇺🇸
Congrats to all the fighter pilots, love from Belgium 🇧🇪 ❤✌.
Much respect from an Albanian
Thank you for your service, for the heart and effort you put! Cheers from Finland
This was my goal and dream, but sadly I didn't get past the medical check as the doc said "You need glasses" :(
Epic 😻
Love to see collaboration like this!
Serb from Montenegro ❤
Shepard AirForce Squadron
Outstanding video!
Awesome vid!
Glad you enjoyed it
Raise a glass to Lt. "Bun"... You're still in the game mate.
I love this. Stay safe out there kids. 👏👏
I like the ceremony where they find out what aircraft they are going to be flying for the whole career. It’s nice :)
lol not whole career. They switch up often. This piloting roles are only for short term due to health fitness requirements. It takes big impact on the body alll that air pressure.They later become trainers/instructors or pilot commercial planes for the public.
At Shepard to a larger extent, but the other pilot training bases also train foreign students. At Columbus AFB I taught to fly Algerian, Japanese, and Italian students.
could they change to other aircraft after Drop Night, when they have enough experience? 🤔
Interesting! Thank You!
Hello from Marin County, California! ❤️🔥🌁 Beautiful pilots! Thanks for sharing, NATO. 🤔 6:51
Those jets look like an F-5 don't know much about that plane but there is one near a Canadian base in Montreal CF-5 really love that look
The aircraft you see from 1:16 to 1:17
If i'm not mistaken, that's the F4 Phantom that was also widely used during the war in Vietnam, right?
Yes. That model is an F-4E.
Thank you awesome young people 😎
Not all NATO pilots train in the USA the UK trains pilots as well
Ahhh... These young men and women are so lucky to have these opportunities...! ❤ (the T-6 Texan is NOT a turbo-prop jet. It's just a turbo-prop)
Looks like a fantastic unit
Is it only for jet pilots? Slovenia has prop planes, can those pilots also go to this training?
Very impressing school. 👍👍
Is Duffy's still the place to meet on Friday evening?
I love the Belgium accent, that girl reminds me of Swen Vick from Larian
Fascinating! I always thought they trained independently.
Train how you fight 😉
All air forces have training programs but I believe this NATO one in Texas is specifically for aspiring NATO pilots to train together, make connections, and increase interoperability between forces so in the event of a crisis, they’re all on the same page.
Oh no NATO is insanely intergrated when it comes to this stuff, its speccialy a big boon for smaller countries like Denmark and Belgium which was mentioned in the video because the small sizes of our countries makes it harder to train fighter pilots.
There is a lot of cooperation in NATO. Most countries have their own training programs too, but as many European countries are pretty small and very densely populated, training in the US opens up many opportunities. Texas is basically empty and has clear skies. A country like the Netherlands is small and very densely populated. You can hardly train manoeuvres without scaring a city with a sonic boom, let alone train with live ammo. Dutch forward observers also go to Texas to train things like communication for close air support together with American pilots. Cooperation also helps that it can be cheaper for all member states. It's possible for smaller countries to have a functional airforce without needing to have all their own training facilities. Training together, for all parts of the armed forces, is also useful in actual operations, as NATO is a coalition. In any NATO operation the members need to be able to communicate and cooperate. That's even more so for the airforces.
Nice Video 👍
This was so interesting. Thank you.🇺🇸
Yeah!!!
2:50 ALL THE BEST PLEASE BE SAFE🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗❤❤❤
I do appreciate NATO a lot! This collaboration is so foundational for a great future.
02:08 | I've never heard of a "turboprop jet" before. Please explain. As I understand things, the T-6 is a turboprop where as the T-38 is a turbojet.
You're quite right. It's a turboprop. Calling it a 'turboprop jet' is only likely to cause confusion.
It nice meet you,. from tokyo ` yokota air
Bravo! This is so wonderful to see, and I humbly thank you all for your service. Cheers!
I was surprised to discover that the F-16 whole training is done in the same nation of the pilot and not in USA, is this the common way to train NATO pilots? Thanks
5:13 bro unlocked top tier
Pretty awesome!
Parabéns para todos obrigada por compartilhar conosco OK sejam bem vindos ❤️❤️😁😁🌲👍🇧🇷
I’m red-green colorblind, is it still a option to get success in my dream of flying a fighter jet?
There is no way Russia or China would have that quality of program for training military aviators. They are of the highest standards.
Hopefully, you'll cover the NATO Flight Training in Canada at 15 Wing Moose Jaw next.