Seven US Air National Guard F-16Cs from Alabama and Iowa landed at Mirgorod AB, Ukraine, on 16 July 2011 to participate in Safe Skies 2011, a US European Command-sponsored aerial military-to-military exchange event with the Ukrainian and Polish Air Forces. The F-16Cs are among the first American fighter jets to ever touch down in this former Soviet-bloc country. During the exercise, the Air Guard pilots will fly engagements with Ukrainian Su-27s and MiG-29s and Polish F-16s on air sovereignty operations in preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, This overall goal of the exercise is to promote and enhance multinational cooperation in promoting airspace security.
