Ukrainian Pilots Are Completing F-16 Training: Kyiv Military Official

The spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force announced some of his country's pilots are finishing up training to fly F-16 Fighting Falcon jets.

Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform on Thursday reported Major Illia Yevlash, who was appointed head of the Air Force Command's Public Relations Service in March, said an unspecified number of Ukrainian pilots are completing preparations to fly the U.S.-made aircraft.

Military analysts consider the addition of F-16s to Kyiv's military as an upgrade to its Air Force. For much of the war that was started by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2022, Ukraine has relied on Soviet-era MiG and Sukhoi jets.

Several of Kyiv's allies have pledged F-16s, and Ukrainian pilots are being trained by an international coalition on flying the fighter jets. Training has taken place in France, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania and the United States.

"Preparations are ongoing. This process is constantly continuing at various levels and we already have pilots who are directly completing their training on the F-16, and as soon as it becomes possible, the F-16 will arrive in Ukraine," Yevlash said, according to Ukrinform. "Of course, these pilots will already be ready to perform combat missions directly in Ukrainian airspace."

Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday night via email for further comment.

The British Defense Ministry previously shared progress on the training of the Ukrainian pilots in late March, saying 10 Ukrainians had graduated from a U.K. military flight school after undergoing "intensive training" with Royal Air Force instructors. Those pilots then proceeded for more advanced flight training in France.

Defense Minister Grant Shapps said at the time that Ukrainian pilots "have received some of the best training available and are now a step closer to joining the fight against Putin's illegal invasion."

The exact arrival time of the F-16s to Ukraine is still unknown. Last month, Belgian government officials said their nation was expediting the delivery of the fighter jets they pledged, and Ukraine could expect Fighting Falcons before the end of the year.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas told Foreign Policy for an article published in February that he thinks "we will see them [F-16s] in Ukraine in June."

According to Ukrinform, Yevlash explained Kyiv's allies have felt delivery times and negotiations regarding the jets must include a degree of secrecy.

"... We thank them for their support, for their willingness to support us in the aviation issue, because we need more than a dozen of these planes to powerfully protect our airspace and repel all kinds of attacks," Yevlash said. "Our partners are tight-lipped, as such questions require silence. We are waiting for them as soon as possible, like all Ukrainians, and we are waiting for the F-16s to be in the Ukrainian sky."