COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – An international programme to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets is still being drawn up by Western countries and the length of such a course could vary depending on the pilots’ prior training and language skills, Denmark said on Tuesday.
NATO members Denmark and the Netherlands are leading efforts by an international coalition to train pilots and support staff, maintain aircraft and ultimately supply F-16s to Ukraine.
“The dialogue and planning of this is still ongoing, which is why there is no final plan yet,” Denmark’s defence ministry said in a statement to Reuters.
Kyiv, which has launched a counteroffensive against Russian forces, has repeatedly called for Western countries to supply aircraft and train its pilots to fly them, to successfully counter Moscow’s aerial dominance.
So far, no countries have committed to sending F-16s to Ukraine, though Poland and Slovakia have supplied 27 MiG-29s to supplement Ukraine’s fleet.
Denmark expects to be able to train up to six Ukrainian pilots at a time, along with up to 40 soldiers for preparation and maintenance work, the defence ministry said.
The ministry could not say how long it would take to finish the training. “It depends on their fighter experience and language skills,” it said.
(Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Peter Graff)
