Kyiv ramps up runway preparations as Ukraine looks to bolster air power with F-16 fighters

Airfield infrastructure is being prepared in Ukraine to receive F-16 fighter jets while pilots and engineers are being trained in the West, announced First Deputy Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavlyuk.

Work on the integration of the F-16 multi-purpose fighter into the general system of the Defense Forces continues both within Ukraine and as part of the international air force coalition. These processes occur simultaneously.

Ukraine is currently working on implementing a "Fast Track" by the end of 2024, within which airfields for the F-16 will be evaluated.

"Also, our pilots and engineers are undergoing F-16 training from August 2023 on a wide range of programs," Pavlyuk said.

Inside Ukraine, complex and painstaking work is underway to prepare the infrastructure and protect it, in particular by air defense means, the official stated.

Training in Ukraine takes place in conditions of constant use of airfield infrastructure, engineers and flight personnel to perform combat missions.

On December 26, the first group of six Ukrainian pilots completed English language courses in the UK and learned to fly F-16 fighters, and now they are learning to fly fighter jets in Denmark.

On January 5, media reported that Belgium plans to send two F-16 fighters to Denmark and about 50 people between March and September 2024 to train Ukrainian pilots.

On the same day, Norway completed the transfer to Denmark of two F-16 fighter jets intended for the training of Ukrainian pilots.