The first group of Ukrainian military pilots completed training in France on an Alphajet jet trainer aircraft, according to the French Army General Staff.
The Ukrainian pilots’ training began in March of this year. The French military said the number of pilots who completed the course met Ukraine’s operational needs. The preparation of Ukrainian pilots has been part of France’s defense assistance.
The accelerated training course for future Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilots in France on Alphajet jet trainer aircraft was first revealed in June 2024. Details of the exercises were published in a report by the French newspaper Le Monde.
Journalists from the publication were the first to be allowed access to an undisclosed airbase in southwestern France, where a group of young Ukrainian pilots was undergoing training.
The French Air and Space Forces pledged to train 26 Ukrainian pilots over two years. Some of them had never flown before, while others had experience flying L-39 Albatros trainer aircraft.
After several months of preparation in the UK, including language courses, the Ukrainian pilots arrived in France in March this year to begin theoretical and practical exercises, Militarnyi reports.
The Ukrainian military’s training follows an accelerated program, lasting only six months compared to the usual eighteen-month course.
Earlier, French media said that France plans to upgrade Mirage 2000-5F jets for Ukraine to help the country strike Russian ground targets.
This modification of the French aircraft was initially designed and used exclusively as a fighter jet and did not include the capability to use air-to-ground munitions.
However, due to Ukraine’s urgent need for multi-role combat aircraft capable of targeting both air and ground targets, France has decided to adjust some of the Mirage 2000-5F fighters it has pledged for the country.
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