The Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Kaisa Ollongren, told Reuters in an interview that Ukrainian pilots can start training to fly American F-16 fighter jets already this summer. This is a step towards supplying aircraft to Ukraine.
According to Ollorgren, the Netherlands wants the training program to be fully operational within six months. At the same time, Denmark, where there are flight simulators, will be a possible place of training.
Two sources of the publication said on condition of anonymity that initially two groups of 12 Ukrainian pilots with experience in operating MiGs will go to the training. An American official also stated anonymously that it is possible to train experienced pilots in four months. Whereas it usually takes about two and a half years to become a fighter pilot in the Netherlands.
The training course will include language classes and training on a simulator, on which Ukrainians will work with various subsystems in the plane. Training in the use of the F-16 for combat missions will be the final part of the program.
- Denmark and the Netherlands headed the European group for training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16. They will be the first countries to begin training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets, other countries will join later.
- On May 16, Britain announced the start of an international coalition of countries that will train Ukrainian pilots to fly fourth-generation Western fighter jets, including the F-16. The coalition included the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Portugal. Pilot training will begin in the coming months.
- On June 4, the spokesman of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Yuriy Ignat said that Ukraine has formed the first list of pilots who will go to train on the F-16. They will be sent in waves.
- On May 21, US President Joe Biden confirmed that the United States will begin training Ukrainian pilots in the near future. The American report says that two Ukrainian aces on F-16 simulators exceeded the expectations of the United States. There, they believe that they will be able to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16 in four months, instead of 18, as previously planned.
- On May 23, the Pentagon announced that the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will begin in at least a few months. And this is based on an optimistic scenario. However, this is quite a short period of time, as it usually takes more than two years to train a new American pilot to operate such an aircraft.
- F-16 will be delivered to Ukraine in units, not individually. At the initial stage, several dozen of these aircraft may be transferred. Earlier, the adviser to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense Yuriy Sak said that Ukraine wants to receive 40 to 50 F-16 fighters to form three or four squadrons.
- German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on June 5 that the German government may reconsider its position on the possible supply of modern Western fighter jets to Ukraine.
- Western countries began to discuss the supply of not only F-16 aircraft, but also F-18 to Ukraine, writes Politico. This will increase the number of countries that will be able to provide Ukraine with Western aviation.