France Completes Training of First Ukrainian Pilots Group on Alphajet Attack Aircraft

The French Armed Forces have completed the training of the first group of Ukrainian pilots on Alphajet aircraft.

This was reported by the army on the X network.

‘France has just completed the training of the first group of Ukrainian pilots on Alphajet aircraft,’ the statement said.

The number of pilots was not disclosed.

The Armed Forces noted that the French Air Force centre has been training pilots to meet the operational needs of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence since March 2024.

The French Air Force has pledged to train 26 Ukrainian pilots in two years.

After several months of training in the UK, including English language training, a group of pilots arrived in France in March this year to begin their theoretical and practical training.

The pilots are using modified Alphajet jet trainers provided by Belgium for flight training. They are equipped with a dashboard that mimics that of F-16 fighters.

To ensure the proper operation of these aircraft and the start of training flights, the French Air Force had to stop the process of decommissioning them at the last minute.

After completing the training, the Ukrainian pilots were to go to a training centre in Romania.

A week ago, it was reported that the first group of Ukrainian pilots had started theoretical training on F-16s in Romania, and could start practical training in the next few months.

The media reported that the pilots from Ukraine will be piloting training F-16s provided to Romania by the Netherlands. This should ease concerns about Russia's threats to destroy NATO aircraft flying to Ukraine.