Training of Ukrainians on F-16: training schedule shifts
4 July, 2023 F-16 fighter jets. Photo credits: Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands The training schedule of Ukrainian pilots and technical personnel on F-16 fighter jets is shifting.
Exercises were supposed to start last month, but this did not happen. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated this live on the United News. This might probably cause the timing of the transfer of these combat aircraft to Ukraine to shift.
"I assumed that the training was supposed to start in June, as we were initially promised. The pilots did not start training in June. This means that the training schedule is starting to shift," Kuleba said.
Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
He also noted that he was previously confident that Ukraine would already receive combat aircraft in the first months of 2024.
"We are working now with all parties involved, with all countries participating in aviation coalitions to speed up the process as much as possible," the Foreign Minister added. Kuleba explained that training pilots and engineers, preparing infrastructure, and "making the necessary legal decisions, in fact, about the transfer of aircraft" is a very complex process.
F-16AM fighters of the Royal Danish Air Force. Photo from the network
"Training did not begin.
There was a promise to start training in June from one of the countries, now they say that they continue preparing for the start of training, they got their calculations wrong and need more time. But we do not have time, so we will accelerate everything as much as possible," the Foreign Minister concluded.
Training of Ukrainians on the F-16
Militarnyi previously reported that in June, the United States received a request from Denmark to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. The United States will also work closely with allies to carry out this exercise and will support the Netherlands and Denmark, which lead a European coalition to conduct training for Ukrainian pilots on Western combat aircraft.
An F-16 fighter of the Netherlands Air Force at the Royal International Air Tattoo.
2022. Britain. Photo credits: Andy Reeve-Smith
Earlier, a representative of the U.S.
Department of State shared that the potential transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine with the participation of third countries could last several months.
The United States currently does not plan to transfer F-16 combat aircraft to Ukraine but supports their supply from other countries.
The State Department is already working on the execution of the relevant documents that are necessary for such a transfer.