Norway sends two F-16s to Denmark for Ukraine training
Norway will send two F-16 fighter jets to Denmark to contribute to the training of Ukrainian pilots, the Norwegian defense minister says.
Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram took part in the test flight before it was sent to Denmark.
Ukrainian pilots and technicians will be trained on American fighters that have served Norway since 1980 until the country switched to modern F-35s in 2022.
Norway will also send ten instructors to Denmark.
"In this extraordinary political and security situation, it is crucial that we continue to support Ukraine. We have to plan because the war may drag on," Gram said.
It is not yet clear how many F-16s Ukraine will eventually receive, but the number of transferred aircraft could reach up to 100. The American fighters are to replace Ukraine's Soviet-era fleet of MiG-29s, Su-24s, and Su-25s.
The Norwegian Air Force chief Rolf Folland, assured that the planes to be transferred for training of Ukrainian pilots were well maintained.
Lieutenant Colonel Bord Bakke, commander of the F-16 training mission in Denmark, says Norway is sending modernized aircraft, although decommissioned.
"The aircraft will be used for air warfare and ground strikes. They will be equipped with unmanned systems and missiles that will hit targets on the ground," Bakke said.
F-16 supply to Ukraine
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky said that preparations were underway to deliver the first F-16s to Ukraine.
The Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said that the F-16s that Ukraine will receive need to be modernized.
Although the Ukrainian Air Force has not yet received the F-16s, Russian propagandists have already begun to make up lies that their troops are allegedly shooting down these aircraft.
The first six Ukrainian pilots have already completed basic training in the Royal Air Force and are now learning to fly F-16s in Denmark.
