Romania will serve as training base for Ukrainian pilots on F-16

European Pravda reported the information.

The CSAT meeting discussed Romania's participation in the transatlantic project of a pilot training center for the operation of F-16 aircraft, which will be created jointly with other allies and the Lockheed Martin development company.

"Romanian pilots who operate F-16s will be trained here, and later this center will be open to pilots from NATO member states and partners, including Ukraine," the statement said.

The CSAT notes that the training center will meet the training requirements of NATO members and regional partners, "positioning Romania as a regional leader in F-16 pilot training."

F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine

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.

Defense Ministry adviser Yuriy Sak said that Ukraine hopes to receive the first modern American F-16 fighters in the fall of 2023.

On May 25, at a meeting in the Ramstein format, it was announced that the coalition to train the Ukrainian Armed Forces with F-16s would be led by Denmark and the Netherlands and would include four other countries: Norway, Belgium, Portugal, and Poland. 

On June 14, one of the leaders of the "aviation coalition," the Netherlands, announced that training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s would begin in the coming months.

On June 15, following the Ramstein meeting, Stoltenberg said that training on the F-16 had already begun. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin noted the rapid progress in this area, and a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force said that they wanted a quick result, but that "the process is delayed."

The same day, it was reported that Denmark and the Netherlands plan to start training Ukrainian pilots this summer and will establish a training center in an Eastern European NATO country.

Following the Ramstein, Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov expressed confidence that we would have a "bird coalition." He also assured that the pilots of the Ukrainian Air Force can master the Western F-16 fighters faster than Ukraine's allies expect, and the four-month period looks realistic, while technicians need more time.

According to a Politico source, a coalition of Western countries is considering Romania as a place to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s.

On June 22, Denmark requested assistance from the United States to train Ukrainian pilots in the use of F-16 fighters.

On June 26, Acting Defense Minister of Denmark, Troels Lund Poulsen, announced the commencement of training for pilots from Ukraine on Western F-16 fighter jets.

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.