First foreign F-16 instructor arrives in Ukraine
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The first foreign instructor on the operational use of F-16 combat aircraft, which should soon be handed over to the partner countries, has already arrived in Ukraine. This is the first officer of the flight staff of the Air Force of Greece.
The Greek media outlet Defense-Point writes about it, Rubryka reports.
"Having operated the F-16 fighter jets for almost four decades and due to continuous Turkish aggression, the [Greek] Air Force has accumulated vast experience and knowledge in the operational use of the fighter in air-to-air missions, especially in close air combat," the Greek media outlet reported.
Journalists assume that the Greek pilot's arrival in Ukraine's capital is part of the F-16 Training Coalition initiative—an international coalition created on July 13, 2023, at the NATO summit in Vilnius to train Ukrainian pilots and technical personnel to work on this type of fighter.
Initially, the coalition included 11 NATO member states — Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the Netherlands.
It should be noted that Ukraine should soon receive the first Western-style fighter jets, but the exact delivery dates remain in question. The first F-16s are likely to come from Denmark and will arrive "in the coming months."
Analysts say fighter jets will arrive in Ukraine in small batches for several years.
It is significant that trained F-16 maintenance specialists have already started coming to Ukraine. The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine officially confirmed this.
It was also reported that the first group of Ukrainian pilots has already completed training on F-16 combat aircraft at the military base in Arizona, in the United States of America.
What is known about F-16 fighters for Ukraine
At the end of March, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine should receive Western F-16 fighter jets, according to previously established plans and schedules.
Three F-16 multi-purpose fighters, on which Ukrainian pilots will be trained, arrived in Romania on April 17.
It is also worth adding that Ukrainian pilots, who are trained on F-16 fighter jets in Denmark and the United States, are already practicing the tasks they will face in Ukraine, in particular, hitting drones and missiles.
It should be noted that the fighter coalition will transfer a "significant number" of F-16 combat aircraft to Ukraine. These aircraft will be equipped with the latest weaponry and able to strike behind the front lines.
However, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine needs at least 120-130 F-16 fighters. This will allow complete control of the sky over Ukraine.
