F-16 service specialists arrived in Ukraine

The first specialists in the F-16 fighter jet maintenance are returning to Ukraine.

Illya Yevlash, spokesperson of the Ukrainian Air Force, reported on this.

According to him, “experts will also be able to share experience with other Ukrainian military technicians.”

“We have already seen, for example, that the first F-16 simulator arrived in Ukraine, which the Czech Republic transferred to us. Of course, this process is relentless, and it will constantly continue,” Yevlash said.

In addition to pilots, engineers, technicians, and other personnel are also required to operate the F-16 and must also take a training course.

F-16 fighter pilots actually put their lives in the hands of the technicians who maintain the aircraft.

In particular, Ukrainian technicians learn to maintain all the important elements of the fighter pilot’s protective equipment, such as the helmet, oxygen system, and parachute system on board.

Ukrainian military pilots and technicians are already undergoing training in the United States, Britain, France, Denmark, and Romania.

Earlier, the Defense Ministry reported that ten Ukrainian military personnel were trained in the Netherlands to maintain F-16 fighter jets.

The training requires knowledge of special, highly complex terminology in English, and there are fewer technicians and engineers who speak this language than there are pilots.

Ukraine may receive only six of the approximately 45 F-16 fighter jets promised by Western countries by July. It is expected that 12 pilots will be ready by this summer, which is less than a full squadron.

In early May, the Czech Republic transferred an F-16 fighter jet simulator to the Ukrainian Air Force.