Ukraine has already received almost 70 F-16 fighters: they were handed over by Denmark, Netherlands and Greece – Le Monde
Over the next six months, about ten servicemen from Ukraine will be trained by the Royal Air Force, where they will be taught the basics of navigation and piloting F-16 fighter jets, as well as the basics of English as part of the Interstorm program. Ukraine has already received almost 70 such aircraft from its partners.
Le Monde writes about it, Censor.NET reports.
It is noted that they are the fourth group of Ukrainian servicemen to be trained by the Royal Air Force under the Interstorm program, an international program launched in early 2023 by the British and Dutch and organized at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023 to teach Ukrainians to fly American F-16 fighters.
Belgians, Danes, Romanians, Americans, French, and Portuguese are also participating. Since the British do not have their own F-16s, they have taken responsibility for the first stage of training: teaching Ukrainian pilots the basics of navigation and piloting combat aircraft, as well as learning English.
Le Monde and four other European media outlets spoke to these student pilots without naming them for security reasons.
"These young people were selected by the Ukrainian army after four years of study at the Air Force Academy and have already flown a little bit on Soviet-type aircraft (Czech-made L-39). During the six months in the UK, they receive additional theoretical training to familiarize them with
NATO standards of piloting and air traffic control. Their training also includes intensive English language courses and sixty hours of flying on a Grob Tutor aircraft," the publication writes.
Their training lasts a total of eighteen months - almost a year shorter than traditional F-16 pilot training, which typically lasts two and a half to three years.
"Apparently, the idea is to prepare young pilots for combat as soon as possible, as Ukraine has received almost 70 F-16s (provided by Denmark, the Netherlands and Greece)," the journalists note.
Ukrainian student pilots say they are ready to defend their country: "When you see videos of what the Russians are doing to our people, it drives you crazy. We have to protect our nation, our land and our culture."
"F-16s will allow us to hunt enemy aircraft more effectively, they have better radar and will stop long-range missiles. Our big problem is missiles and drones attacking our power plants and infrastructure. The F-16s will provide better protection for our borders, but it will not be enough to win the war," said one of the Ukrainians named Ivan.
In early February, the Air Force of Ukraine received a long-awaited reinforcement - the first French Mirage 2000 and F-16 fighters from the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
