Dutch Air Combat commander tells Ukrainian pilots to trust F-16s

In the Netherlands, the chief of the Air Combat Command and F-16 pilot called the fighter jet a powerful aerial tool and advised Ukrainian pilots to trust it.

The Commander of the Air Combat Command, Marcel van Egmond, who was one of the Dutch pilots who took part in the farewell flight of F-16 fighters on September 27, said this in an exclusive comment to an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague on Friday.

"Trust the plane. It is a very, very powerful tool in the air. It's great in turns, it’s maneuverable, but also be careful initially because you need to learn how to use it, and it's also important what equipment you have," he said when asked what advice he would give to Ukrainian pilots who are just learning to operate the F-16.

According to the pilot, "my first solo flight was the most beautiful. And it was great to say goodbye and fly the F-16 today. I flied the F-16 for 29 years. The weather was not as good as I had hoped, but we had a very good flight."

He also said that "I will switch to the F-35 in a few weeks."

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Netherlands has decommissioned its F-16 fleet, switching to F-35s.

Decommissioned aircraft that have not been scrapped or sold will be transferred to other countries. In total, this is about 42 fighter jets, 18 of which are to be based at the pilot training center in Romania and 24 – sent to Ukraine. Earlier it was reported that 14 of the promised fighter jets have already been delivered to Romania. Ukraine also received a certain number of Dutch F-16s, but their exact number has not been disclosed for security reasons.

As Ukrinform reported, a farewell flight of F-16 fighters took place in the Netherlands on September 27.

Eight F-16 fighter jets took off from Volkel Air Base. The event was broadcast live.