UK Trains 200 Ukrainian Aviators to Operate F-16s

Instructors from the United Kingdom have trained 200 Ukrainian aviators to operate F-16 multi-role fighter jets.

The British Embassy Kyiv reported on this.

This includes future fighter pilots, as well as ground personnel such as aviation technicians, etc.

Training for both ground and flight personnel included language courses. 200 Ukrainian aviators received basic flying, ground school and language training in the UK before flying F-16s.

The actual training on these fighters will be conducted in other countries, as the UK is not a user of this type of combat aircraft.

“RAF instructors taught them general aircraft handling, flying by the aircraft’s instruments, low level navigation and advanced formation flying,” the British Embassy Kyiv said.

During basic flight training in the UK, Ukrainian future pilots were trained on Grob Tutor T2 training aircraft.

In addition to independent basic skills in flying an aircraft, instrumentation, and low-altitude navigation, the future fighter pilots also flew as part of a formation.

After completing training on the Grob Tutor T2 and obtaining the appropriate certificate in the UK, the pilots will train on the combat training version of the F-16. These are two-seat fighters, which they will first fly with a foreign instructor, and then on their own.

The pilots will undergo in-depth training in accordance with Western programs, which will allow them to acquire the skills to fly fighter jets.

The first group of the Ukrainian pilots completed the basic flight training program in the United Kingdom in December 2023. Subsequently, this group of six experienced Ukrainian pilots trained on F-16 fighter jets in Denmark.

In March and October 2024, Militarnyi reported on the graduation of two more groups of Ukrainian aviators in the UK, who subsequently continued their training in other countries.