Ukrainian air force pilots and support personnel will begin training on the F-16 at bases in Denmark and Romania in August. A coalition of 11 countries was formed at the NATO summit in Lithuania to guide the training. The U.S. is not a member of that coalition and has not agreed to send aircraft to Ukraine, but it has said it will not block other countries from sending their surplus Vipers to the fight. Denmark and the Netherlands recently mothballed their F-16 fleets as they took delivery of F-35s and are expected to lead the training effort.
“We have to defend our civilian population, our infrastructure, critical objects, our schools, our universities. That’s why for us it is very important that this fighter jet coalition starts up,” Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told reporters at the summit. “I’m especially grateful to Denmark and the Netherlands for their outstanding leadership in this process.”
It’s still not clear how many F-16s will be transferred to Ukraine but officials said they need at least 48 to tip the balance against the Russians. Reznikov said he hopes to see the new fighters making a meaningful difference in the war within about six months. The program may not end with the F-16s, however. Reznikov said the coalition is considering adding other types to the Ukraine war effort, but he did not specify which.
