Ukrainian pilots may complete the F-16 training program ahead of schedule

Ukrainian pilots will soon be flying real F-16 fighter jets under the guidance of instructors.

Yurii Ihnat, Spokesperson of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, made the corresponding statement.

Spokesperson of the Ukrainian Air Force noted that Ukraine’s international partners have noticed the pilots’ rapid mastery of the training program.

“We expect that the first group of pilots who are currently training on simulators, flight simulators that fully reproduce the cockpit, will soon be flying real F-16 fighter jets under the guidance of instructors. This should happen in the near future,” Ihnat said.

Currently, the pilots are at the stage of transferring to a fighter jet, first with an instructor, and then independently after this training.

“In Belgium, the first group of pilots who had a passing grade in English took part in the training. We also had to brush up on aviation terminology, as all commands and controls in the F-16 are in English,” he said.

The Air Force spokesperson also noted that international partners have noticed that our pilots were quickly mastering the training program.

According to Ihnat, this was facilitated by the home training that the pilots had received before traveling abroad.

As previously reported, Denmark and the Netherlands will hand over F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine after the training of Ukrainian pilots.

On August 20, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that the country planned to send 19 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, the first six closer to the New Year.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the Netherlands would provide 42 fighter jets. The fighter jets will be sent after the conditions are met, including the provision of the necessary infrastructure and the completion of pilot training.

The Belgian Defense Minister also announced that Belgian F-16 fighter jets would be sent to Ukraine in 2025.