Ukrainian fighter pilots master skills in missile interception and anti-drone tactics on F-16 jets in Denmark and USA – Air Force

Ukrainian pilots who have received training on F–16 fighter jets in Denmark and the United States are already practicing the tasks they will encounter in their homeland, specifically targeting Shahed UAVs and intercepting rockets.

Ilia Yevlash, the spokesman of the Air Force of Ukraine's armed forces, announced this at a briefing on Thursday, on April 11.

"The final stage of training for pilots in Denmark and the USA is almost complete. They are currently practicing precision strikes on small targets," Yevlash noted.

Courses for pilots in English continue in Great Britain.

Another group moved to France to master the control system on light aircraft.

In addition, technical personnel are being trained continuously, so these specialists will already train their colleagues in Ukraine in the future.

"We use all the slots to train specialists, in particular, engineers, so that in the future, when they return to Ukraine, they can train our people, engineers, here, on their own," Yevlash said.

At the same time, regarding the terms of transferring fighter jets to Ukraine, Yevlash noted that the partners are discussing these issues behind closed doors. The terms are not disclosed.

It should be noted that Belgium has approved new aid to Ukraine, including 100 million euros for maintaining and supporting F-16 fighters.

For reference:

On August 20, 2023, the Netherlands and Denmark reached an agreement 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.

In late September, the Air Force unveiled a video showcasing how pilots acclimated to the F–16 in Ukraine. They became proficient in operating American F–16 fighter jets by practicing on a flight simulator.

The US Air Force reported that a few Ukrainian pilots started receiving training in the fundamentals of the F–16 at the 162nd Aviation Unit of the Arizona National Guard at the end of October.

In November, the first F-16s for training pilots from Ukraine, which the Netherlands previously sent, arrived at the training center in Romania.

It is worth adding that on February 5, 2024, the Netherlands decided to transfer six more F-16 fighters to Ukraine than initially planned. Six aircraft planned for sale will be added to the 18 aircraft.