Denmark will stop training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets by the end of 2024, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on 24 June.
The decision comes as Denmark transitions to F-35 fighters, utilizing the Skrydstrup air base where Ukrainian pilots train.
Poulsen said, according to DR, “almost 20 Ukrainian pilots will complete their training in Denmark by the end of the program in 2024.”
While Denmark’s direct training program will conclude, Poulsen emphasized that the country could still “contribute” to Ukrainian pilot training in other nations. He said that Ukrainian service members are training in Romania, but “no decision has yet been made on whether Denmark will join this training process, and if so, how.”
Denmark and the Netherlands lead an international training coalition for Ukrainian F-16 pilots. On 13 June, Profit.ro reported that Romania would cover the costs of training Ukrainian pilots on American F-16 fighters at the Fetesti military air base from its state budget.
The training efforts are part of a broader international commitment to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighters. In August 2023, the Netherlands and Denmark jointly promised to transfer 61 American F-16 fighters to Ukraine, following US approval.
Several countries have pledged F-16s to Ukraine, with the Netherlands planning to send aircraft in autumn 2024, while Danish sources suggested deliveries could begin this summer.
Deputy Oleksandra Ustinova said that only eight Ukrainian pilots train in Tucson, Arizona, with another 12 at a Danish air base. Ustinova confirmed that Kyiv had requested at least ten more training slots from Washington, but the request was denied.
Read also:
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- Zelenskyy visits Brussels to ink security deals and tour pilot training site for Ukraine’s F-16 pilots
- Politico: First batch of Ukrainian pilots graduated from F-16 training in Arizona
