Ukrainian pilots and personnel started training to operate the F-16s

Ukrainian pilots and personnel of the Ukrainian Air Force have begun training to operate F-16 multirole fighter jets.

Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defense of Ukraine, shared this with Channel 24.

“Training has already begun,” the official said.

The training plan includes learning English.

The Netherlands and Denmark are in charge of the training.

It is not yet known how long the training will last.

According to Reznikov, the instructors will make the decision on the readiness of Ukrainians when they see the proper level of individual skills and interaction.

However, according to current estimates, such training could take at least six months.

Some might be able to do it faster. People are talented. But to avoid any illusions, it could happen that some pilots will be ready in five months, while engineers and technicians will not be ready. And an airplane is a very complex system. One pilot is not enough, the Minister shared.

Reznikov noted that the aviation coalition includes 11 countries. However, it is not yet clear when and how many aircraft Ukraine will receive. The issue of weapons that will be transferred to the Ukrainian Air Force for these aircraft is also open. All countries participating in the fighter jet coalition will have to obtain permission from the United States to transfer F-16s to Ukraine.