Ukraine is poised to significantly boost its air defenses as pilots train on potentially game-changing F-16 fighter jets.
The impending introduction of the American-made jets will represent a significant upgrade to Ukraine's Air Force, which has largely relied on Soviet-era MiG and Sukhoi aircraft during its 23-month war against invading Russian forces.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced in a Tuesday post on X, formerly Twitter that the first group of pilots destined to fly the F-16s for Kyiv had completed a basic training program in the United Kingdom and moved on to training with the jets in Denmark.
"We are grateful to the [U.K. Defense Ministry] for providing basic training to Ukraine's combat air pilots," the post said. "Ukraine highly appreciates our partner's help in preparation for operating F-16s in Ukraine."
The post quoted Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who said the development was "a very significant contribution to the international Air Force Capability Coalition for Ukraine."
Umerov added that the training was "vital to equip Ukrainian pilots with the skills they need in the war against Russia" in his own X post.
The British Ministry of Defense confirmed the news, writing on X that the Ukrainian pilots received Royal Air Force training before heading to Denmark and noted that the "F-16 will be the core of Ukraine's future air force."
Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian Ministry of Defense via email for comment on Tuesday.
Ukrainian pilots are learning to fly the F-16s in Denmark and at a specialized training center in Romania, where some aircraft were first delivered early last month. A small number of Ukrainian pilots have also received training in Arizona.
The prospect of Ukraine obtaining F-16s had been in doubt until May when President Joe Biden agreed to allow NATO allies to provide the jets after initially resisting repeated requests from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
So far, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Belgium have agreed to provide Ukraine with a supply of F-16s. The Netherlands is set to send Kyiv an initial shipment of 18 jets out of 42.
Although the exact timeline for the arrival of the F-16s to Ukraine is unclear, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte informed Zelensky during a phone call last week that the first batch would be sent soon.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted that the F-16s will not improve Ukraine's footing in the war, saying during the Eastern Economic Forum in September that procurement of the jets "simply prolongs the conflict."
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Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more
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