On Monday, November 13, the European Training Center for F-16 Fighter Pilots was opened in Romania in the town of Fătesti. The pilots of the Air Force of Ukraine will also be trained here. The opening ceremony was attended by Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar and Dutch Defense Minister Kaysa Ollongren.
The base will not only train pilots from scratch, but will also provide refresher courses, the head of the training center told Suspilne.
“There will be 16 training programs. This will also apply to Ukraine. This is the first collaboration between the Romanian and Dutch governments. We all want to maintain collective security“, said Ms. Kathleen Kavalek, U.S. Ambassador to Romania.
The Romanian pilots will start training on November 14, while the date of the Ukrainians’ training has not yet been announced.
The Netherlands will provide 12 to 18 fighter jets for training both Ukrainian and Romanian pilots.
As for the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine, according to the Dutch Defense Minister, certain infrastructure and other things are needed. In particular, the approval from the United States, because they are produced there.
Earlier it was reported that 5 F-16 fighters flew from the Netherlands to Romania. Ukrainian pilots will train there.
It is known that Lockheed Martin provided instructors and technical staff for the exercise.
On training Ukrainian pilots in Romania
The Netherlands, as part of the “aviation coalition,” provides its aircraft for training Ukrainians. The first three Dutch F-16AM fighters arrived in Romania on November 7. Later, it became known that the Netherlands planned to increase the number of F-16 fighters in Romania to speed up and increase the intensity of training for Ukrainian pilots.
By the end of 2023, the Netherlands is seeking to deploy up to 18 F-16 fighters to the Romanian air base. The increase in the number of these aircraft should have a positive impact on the quality and speed of training of Ukrainian pilots, #Shotam writes.
While the F-16s are in Romania, they will remain the property of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The fighter jets will primarily be used to train Ukrainian and Romanian instructors who are to undergo advanced training. After that, pilots will be involved in the exercise for retraining.
Also, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ihnat, said that Ukrainian pilots are not starting training on F-16s in Romania, and the center itself is still under construction. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the talk show “On Time.”
The publication noted: “Today, a video was posted online showing pilots flying American F16 fighters. According to media reports, the video was allegedly filmed at an air base in the Romanian city of Fătesti, where training of Ukrainian pilots is to begin soon, and the pilots’ work is demonstration flights“.
However, Ihnat said that Ukrainian pilots will not start training on F-16s in Romania, and the center itself, according to him, is still under construction, Channel 5 reports.
“As for the center, sometimes statements by foreign partners need to be considered from a different angle. For example, the Netherlands donated five airplanes. They handed over the first batch to the future center, which is being formed, which is under construction, and the foundation has just been poured, as far as I know. There is a runway there, but so far there is no talk of training Ukrainian pilots” the spokesman summarized.
