Belgium to send two F-16Bs to Denmark in March to train Ukrainian pilots
Belgium will send two two-seater F-16Bs to Denmark and about fifty instructors to train Ukrainian pilots between March and September, RTBF reported on Jan. 4, citing the country’s Defense Ministry.
Read also: Sweden, Denmark forge pact to supply additional CV90 IFVs to Ukraine
The training mission, which will also include training Ukrainian technicians and mission planners, is part of the F-16 coalition of thirteen countries, including Belgium, led by Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States. Its goal is to provide the Ukrainian Air Force with this type of fighter jet and to train personnel capable of using these aircraft to combat Russian invasion.
Ukrainian pilots are undergoing advanced training in Denmark to fly F-16s after completing basic orientation in the UK, according to the British government on Dec. 26. A group of six experienced Ukrainian pilots received aviation-focused English language training in the UK. Another ten pilots will remain there to continue their flight training.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Dec. 22 that the Netherlands had begun preparations to hand over the first 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Read also: New video released of Ukrainian soldiers training in United Kingdom – UK Defense Ministry
In August, the Netherlands and Denmark promised to provide Ukraine with 61 aircraft - 42 and 19, respectively. Later, Norway confirmed its intention to supply F-16s. Belgium will also give Ukraine F-16s starting in 2025.
Read also: F-16 Coalition working to increase the number of F-16 fighter jets provided to Ukraine
“Ukraine's allies are collaborating to increase the number of F-16 fighter jets provided to Ukraine”, announced Ukraine's Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba during a joint press conference with Dutch counterpart Hanke Bruins Slot in Kyiv on December 5.
He previously stated that Ukraine could receive the first F-16s in the first half of 2024.
Read also: Ukrainian pilots training with F-16s in Denmark after finishing basic orientation in UK
Ukrainian pilots in Denmark are already conducting flights with instructors on F-16 fighter jets, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuri Ihnat, said during a briefing on Nov.21.
Western F-16 fighters may be "less helpful" next year as Russia has improved its weapons and air defense system, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said in an interview with UK weekly news magazine The Economist published on Nov. 1.
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