Ukraine launches special office for integration of F-16 fighters

During the conference in Copenhagen, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk, First Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, introduced the concept of "Office–61".

He announced this on Facebook.

"I took part in a conference with the participation of Western partners in Copenhagen (Denmark), where I presented the concept of "Office-61" – a specially created structure under the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the main purpose of which is the organization of comprehensive support for the continuous process of integration of the multi-purpose aircraft F-16 into the general system Defense Forces of Ukraine," he said.

It is envisaged that the program will have two stages of deployment:

• "fast track," calculated until the end of 2024,
• and scaling.

The main areas of work of "Office-61" will be:

• support and development of airfield (airbase) infrastructure;
• comprehensive protection of the airfield infrastructure, including the air defense system;
• selection and training of flight crew and other aviation personnel;
• aircraft life cycle support and logistical support;
• international communication and other legal, financial, security, and administrative functions.

"The development of the tactical aviation capabilities of the Air Force of Ukraine's armed forces, along with the rearming of aviation brigades, is one of our key priorities," Pavliuk emphasized.

 

He emphasized that as of November of this year, with the assistance of foreign experts, evaluation of airfields for multi-purpose fighters continues in Ukraine, and the first Ukrainian pilots and engineers continue training on the F-16, which began in August.

For reference:

The USA approved the transfer of F-16 fighters from Denmark and the Netherlands to Ukraine. National Security Adviser to the President of the United States, Jake Sullivan, said that Ukraine will receive the planes after pilot training is completed.

On August 20, an agreement was reached in the Netherlands and Denmark on transferring F-16 aircraft to Ukraine after training Ukrainian pilots.

In particular, Ukraine will receive 42 American F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and 19 aircraft from Denmark. On September 15, Belgium joined the training of Ukrainian pilots on the F-16.

In addition, in 2024, the Netherlands plans to hand over the first batch of F-16s to Ukraine.

Also, on November 7, President Zelensky announced that the first five F-16s for training pilots from Ukraine, which were previously sent by the Netherlands, had already arrived at the training center in Romania.

The Minister of Defense of Romania, Angel Tilvar, announced on November 13 that the European F-16 fighter training center was opened at the Fetești air base, where pilots from Ukraine will be trained.

According to the Pentagon, training of Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets has begun in the US.