Military

UK Completes Training of First Cohort of Ukrainian F16 Pilots

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The first group of Ukrainian pilots have completed a basic training program in the United Kingdom to fly US-made F-16 fighter jets, the UK defense ministry said on Tuesday.
Sputnik
The UK Royal Air Force-led training started in August and included aviation-specific English language courses, which the Ukrainian pilots need to be able to undergo further phases of F16 training in other countries, the statement read.
"The first cohort of Ukrainian pilots to receive training from the Royal Air Force are now learning to fly F-16 fighter jets in Denmark, having completed a basic programme of training in the UK," the ministry said in a statement.
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Sixteen Ukrainian pilots have completed the language training, and ten of them are remaining in the UK to "continue with practical basic flight training, as well as to learn important skills such as aviation medicine and centrifuge training."
"Once they have completed their training with the RAF, pilots will be trained by another European nation on advanced flying training," the statement read.
Additionally, engineering-focused English language training is being provided to "dozens" of Ukrainian aircraft technicians, the ministry said.
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The UK has provided military training to more than 53,000 Ukrainians since 2014 and plans to recruit another 10,000 in the first half of 2024, the ministry said.
Western countries have been providing Ukraine with military aid since the start of Russia's special military operation in February 2022. The support evolved from lighter artillery munitions and training to heavier weapons, including tanks. Ukraine eventually started pushing for Western-made fighter jets, which its donors abroad long resisted.
In July, an international coalition was formed to provide Ukrainian pilots with training to fly F-16s, the fighter jets of its choice, spearheaded by Denmark and the Netherlands. In October, another coalition was initiated by the United States to boost Ukraine's general air defense capability.
Earlier Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stressed that Russian air defense system will need only about 20 days to shoot down all the F-16s that the Ukrainian military will receive.
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