First group of Ukrainian pilots to be trained on F-16s identified 

Politico shared the update with reference to anonymous sources.

These 8 pilots are fluent in English and are ready to start training as soon as the official training plan approved by European allies is ready. Another 20 pilots who need to improve their English are ready to start language courses in the UK this month.

Altogether, 32 Ukrainian pilots — enough for two squadrons — have been identified to potentially take part in the training program, but English proficiency remains a sticking point.

A coalition of 11 NATO countries will help Ukrainians learn how to fly the American warplane, with much of the instruction expected to take place in Denmark and Romania, Politico reminds.

The Biden administration is still awaiting a formal training proposal from European allies, but the US official said Washington is “hopeful” the request will come within weeks.

• On May 21, US President Joe Biden approved the training of Ukrainians on F-16s. Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured that Ukraine would not use these aircraft to strike at Russian territory.

• On July 1, President Zelenskyy mentioned that the schedule for training Ukrainian pilots on Western F-16 fighter jets has not been finalized yet, and some foreign partners are causing delays.

• On July 6, media reported that Romania would become a base for training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.

• On July 7, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Prague that the country will supply helicopters and train pilots to fly F-16s.

• On July 11, Ukraine agreed to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 combat aircraft with France. On the same day, Ukraine signed a memorandum with 11 partner countries to create a coalition to train pilots on F-16 fighter jets.

• Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says that the first F-16 fighter jets are likely to fly in Ukraine's skies by the end of March 2024.

• On 2 August, CNN reported that European countries had not yet submitted the final training plan to the US. The training, scheduled to begin this month, still faces significant details to be ironed out.