Following the relocation of F-16s to Romania, training courses for Ukrainian pilots will begin on this type of fighter jet.

AmericanF-16 fighter jets, which will be used by Ukrainian pilots, will arrive at atraining centre in Romania in two weeks.

PrimeMinister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte wrote aboutthis on his page on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

Accordingto him, after the redeployment to Romania, training courses for Ukrainianpilots will begin on these aircraft.

"TheNetherlands will continue to support Ukraine in the face of Russian aggressionfor as long as it takes. The devastating situation in Israel and Gaza will notdivert our attention from Ukraine," Rutte said.

Pentagonspokesman General Patrick Ryder said that training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets could last from 5 to 9months, depending on the individual skills of the servicemen. Previously, theminimum projected training period was three months, or "a fewmonths".

At the sametime, Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, expects the first F-16s to appear in the Ukrainian skies in spring 2024.

"Everyofficial in Europe or the United States, opinion leader or government official,announces dates. And they all have different dates. We are relying on spring,because if the process of training our pilots with aviation instructors hasalready begun, then, in principle, I think we can count on the statements madeby the Ukrainian authorities," said Ihnat.

Accordingto him, Ukraine needs 150 F-16 fighters to effectively protect its airspace. Ifthis happens, the American aircraft will completely replace the outdated fleetof Soviet equipment.

On 25October, Ukrainian pilots beganflight training on F-16s at the 162nd Air National Guard unit of theArizona Air Force.

The Britishmilitary willbegin training Ukrainian pilots at military bases in Romania in early 2024.