Ukrainian pilots to leave for Europe in late summer to train to fly F-16s - spox

Ukrainian pilots will be sent to Europe at the end of this summer to begin training to fly F-16 fighter jets.

Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force Command, said this at a briefing at the Ukraine-Ukrinform Media Center.

"We expect our pilots to be sent to European countries for serious training at the end of summer. Therefore, it is necessary to understand that the training will not be that quick, but it won't be long-lasting as the Russians hope. I think our pilots will master the F-16 training program as quickly as they mastered the Patriot system. The only thing is that it's important the entire jets coalition joins - all the countries that have training bases, simulators, instructors, training planes -because we need as many people as possible to go through the training program as quickly as possible," Ihnat said.

He noted that Ukrainian pilots needed not only to learn how to fly the F-16 but also how to use dozens of types of its weapons. Ihnat recalled that the United States, after evaluating Ukrainian pilots, concluded that their retraining would take about four months. At the same time, only in practice will it be clear which of the pilots will be trained and how much time will be needed for their training, he added.

At the same time, according to Ihnat, Ukraine desperately needs to strengthen its air defenses before it receives fighter jets.

"They must be strengthened, especially ahead of the winter period and given that the Russians may want to carry out certain provocations. Therefore, there are no options - we need to strengthen air defenses," Ihnat said.

NATO allies at the summit in Vilnius officially announced the creation of a fighter jet coalition for Ukraine. The Netherlands, Denmark and Romania officially confirmed that they would train Ukrainian pilots. The White House also announced that Ukraine could receive F-16s this year.