70 Ukrainian pilots, aviators already training for F-16s in Denmark, Ukraine says
70 Ukrainian servicepeople, including pilots and aviators, have already started training for F-16 fighter jets, Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, said on Monday.
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The announcement comes as Denmark together with the Netherlands pledged to donate F-16s to Ukraine following the pilot training.
Speaking on national television, Mr Ihnat said the 70 Ukrainians now training in Denmark include both pilots and aviators, those who support pilots in their flights.
"It is clear that they also need to learn how to maintain equipment and provide flight support," he explained.
The group in Denmark is the first out of the three groups, or ‘waves’, that are to undergo Western training. The second group of pilots who graduated this year are to fly to the United Kingdom for training, Mr Ihnat announced.
"They will undergo basic training: English, light aircraft, Western aircraft with a transition to fighter jets," the Air Force spokesman said, adding that the programme will last longer — probably up to two years.
The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, recently said that pilots with combat experience who graduated in 2016 would be trained in Sweden.
On Sunday, Denmark announced that it would donate 19 F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, while the Netherlands would transfer some of the 42 fighter jets it is currently replacing with more modern F-35s.
Ukraine, which has long been pushing for modern fighter jets, has indicated it needs four squadrons, that is 48 F-16s, to effectively deter Russian aggression.
