Ukrainian pilots are in the final stage of training on F-16 fighters. The Air Force says that the appearance of planes in Ukraine should be a surprise.
At what stage of training are the Ukrainian pilots
The spokesman of the Air Force, Ilya Yevlash, said on Radio Svoboda that two groups of Ukrainian pilots in Denmark and the USA are directly undergoing F-16 training.
They hone their skills and practice, flying the necessary hours on these aircraft. This is one of the possibly final stages, Yevlash said.
At the same time, the spokesperson did not specify the aircraft's appearance date in Ukraine.
It is not worth divulging so that the enemy has a particular surprise. Of course, as soon as we discuss it, we will inform all Ukrainians because everyone is waiting for this news.
Ilya Yevlash
Air Force spokesman
Yevlash added that the F-16s will be able to shoot down Russian missiles that are terrorizing Ukrainian cities and counter Russian aviation, which actively uses guided aerial bombs.
F-16 for Ukraine: what is known
Earlier, it became known that the first group of four pilots plans to complete their training by the summer of 2024.
They began training in October 2023 at the 162nd Fighter Wing in Tucson, Arizona.
A second group of four pilots began training in January. The third group studied English terminology before training on aeroplanes.
At the end of March, Belgium announced that it was allocating funds for aircraft maintenance. The 25th package of military aid is 100 million euros.
Funds will be allocated for maintenance and support of F-16 aircraft within the framework of the international coalition. We are grateful to our Belgian partners for their constant support.
