Romania plans to start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 military aircraft

Romania plans to start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 military aircraft in August 2023. This information was reported by CNN, citing its sources.

An air base in Romania has already been identified for the training. There are sixteen F-16 aircraft in this country, and Norway will supply another 32 aircraft by the end of 2024.

The training plan calls for Romania to ask aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin to provide an F-16 flight simulator.

There are about ten experienced Romanian instructors in Romania who have accumulated more than 2000 hours of flying time. The duration of the training program is still being determined. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine expects to see results within six months.

"We have held intensive negotiations on the training program for two months. The Romanian Air Force and other allied countries will provide us with instructors for both NATO pilots and, in the near future, for Ukrainian pilots as part of the F-16 program," said CNN military analyst Radu Tudor.

Romania is one of 11 countries that have formed an official aviation coalition to supply Ukraine with F-16s.