Some Ukrainian pilots for F-16 are already training - Air Force spokesman

Spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Yuriy Ihnat said this during a telethon.

"The process is underway - this is the most important thing. The partners are not too keen on detailing the training process. But the fact is that pilots are already training on the F-16 in the air directly. Not all of them, of course. Some pilots are already training in the sky with an instructor on combat aircraft. So everything is going according to plan," Ihnat said.

According to him, the task of Ukrainians is to wait and hold the country.

F-16 fighters 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. 

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 August 17, the United States approved the shipment of F-16 multi-role fighters to Ukraine.

At the same time, Denmark said it would supply Ukraine with the aircraft if they were not used in Russia. 

On September 15, Belgium joined the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. The Belgian Defense Ministry previously announced that it would not provide Ukraine with F-16 fighters, but later the government suggested that Ukraine could receive several F-16s next year In 2024, the Netherlands plans to provide Ukraine with the first batch of F-16s.

On October 11, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said that the country would be able to deliver the first F-16s to Ukraine in March-April 2024.

On October 12, media reported that the Netherlands will send F-16s to Romania, where Ukrainian pilots will begin training in a few weeks.

On October 26, Ukrainian pilots began flight training on F-16 fighter jets at an air base in Arizona, USA.

On November 1, the Pentagon announced that the training in Arizona could last from 5 to 9 months.

On November 7, five Dutch F-16 fighters arrived in Romania, where a training center for Ukrainian and Romanian pilots will soon open.