Dutch F-16 Fighters for Ukraine Arrive at Training Centre in Romania

The Netherlands has sent five F-16 fighter jets to the European Training Centre in Romania, where Ukrainian and Romanian pilots will be trained.

This is stated on the official website of the Dutch Ministry of Defence.

According to the report, the training centre in Romania will initially use the aircraft provided by the Netherlands to improve the skills of hired F-16 instructors.
Later, the training of Ukrainian and Romanian pilots will begin.

In total, the Netherlands plans to provide the training centre with 12 to 18 F-16s.

It is worth noting that it was the Netherlands that initiated the opening of a training centre at the Romanian air base "Lieutenant of Aviation Gheorghe Mociornita" in the summer of 2023 to train Ukrainian pilots on American F-16 fighters.

"Through this centre, Romania commits to providing a high-quality training environment with access to technical resources and the latest know-how not only for Romanian pilots, but also for pilots from Alliance member and partner countries, including Ukraine," said Romanian Minister of National Defence Angel Tîlvăr.

Moreover, the American Lockheed Martin Corporation, which specialises in aviation and aerospace technologies, has undertaken to organise training and maintenance of the aircraft by engaging its own instructors and engineering staff.

Last month, it was also reported that Ukrainian pilots have already started training on F-16 fighter jets at the US air base in Arizona, USA.

The pilots are expected to complete the course over the next few months and will be able to start performing combat missions no earlier than the beginning of next year.

It is worth noting that the US F-16 fighter jets are a key element in Ukraine's defence strategy to protect against Russia's unjustified aggression.

In particular, the fighter jets are needed to support military operations on the contact line and to protect against Russia's terrorist missile and drone strikes against civilians and critical infrastructure.

Currently, according to British and Ukrainian intelligence, after the onset of cold weather, Russia plans to resume its tactics of targeted massive attacks with precision missiles on civilian targets and critical infrastructure.