KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine plans to send “several dozen” combat pilots for training to fly U.S.-manufactured F-16 fighter jets, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said on Friday, as western allies prepared the necessary training programmes.
“Everything is being done to get it started as early as possible,” Ihnat told Ukrainian national television, adding that the pilots picked for training would have combat experience.
“It’s not training, it’s retraining,” Ihnat said.
Ukraine, which has launched a long-awaited counter-offensive, has repeatedly said it needs new Western aircraft to successfully counter Russia’s aerial dominance.
NATO members the Netherlands and Denmark are leading efforts by an international coalition to train pilots and support staff, maintain aircraft and ultimately supply F-16s to Ukraine.
Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren told Reuters this week that training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s could begin as soon as this summer.
She said the aim would be to have the training programme fully operational within six months. Denmark, where there are flight simulators, is a possible location to host the program.
A final decision has not yet been taken on a request from Kyiv to supply dozens of F-16s, Ollongren said. The U.S.-backed training program will include Belgium and Luxembourg, while France and Britain have offered assistance, she said.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
