A historic moment: F-16s destined for Ukraine are already marked with Ukrainian insignia (photo)
On Friday, February 9, the Voice of Americapublished an interview with a Ukrainian pilot with the call sign Phantom. Footage from the training site was also published, which shows that the F-16 has the coat of arms and flag of Ukraine on it.
The soldier said that not only pilots but also ground personnel are undergoing training.
“Of course, everyone wants to get the airplanes as soon as possible, but that’s not usually how things work. Aviation is a very complex system, it’s not just one tank or one artillery unit. A lot of personnel work on an airplane, and it is a big system. And a pilot or a technician is a small cog in a big system,” he said.
Ukrainian pilots also hope that the delivery of F-16s will help the Air Force to increase its capabilities on the battlefield.
F-16 fighters for Ukraine – what is known
On May 19, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that his country and the United States, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark had agreed to participate in training Ukrainian pilots on Western fighter jets.
On July 6, Romania announced that it is opening a regional training center for F-16 fighter pilots, which will be available to its allies and NATO partners, including Ukraine. It is known that the training will take place in Romania and Denmark.
The United States has allowed Denmark and the Netherlands to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. This was confirmed by the Foreign Ministries of these countries.
On August 20, the Netherlands and Denmark promised to donate 61 aircraft to Ukraine – 42 and 19 respectively.
On January 10, the Ministry of Defense reported that Ukrainian pilots continue to train on F-16 fighter jets under various programs in partner countries.
On January 5, the Pentagon said that Ukrainian F-16 pilots would be ready this year.
On January 18, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine is expected to conduct its first successful operations using F-16 aircraft this year. Preparations are going according to plan.
