United to win: Romania welcomes three additional F-16 fighters for Ukrainian pilot training

Three more F-16 fighters of the Royal Netherlands Air Force will arrive at the European F-16 pilot training center in Romania, where Ukrainian pilots are trained.

The Ministry of Defense of Romania reports this.

It is noted that on April 17, Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar will meet with his Dutch counterpart Kajsa Ollongren at the 86th Air Force Base "Lieutenant Gheorghe Mochornice" in the city of Borca, where the European F-16 Training Center was opened last year.

"This event is connected with the arrival of three more F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, which will be placed at the disposal of the European F-16 Training Center as part of pilot training programs for the operation of this type of fighter," the message reads.

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.

It should be added that 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.