Denmark has started training Ukrainian military pilots on US-made F-16 fighter jets. This was reported by Politico citing the acting Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. According to him, the pilot training programme will last from six to eight months and after its completion the Danish government may transfer its outdated F-16 fighters to Kiev, which the Scandinavian kingdom plans to replace with new machines within the next two years.
The Danish government has announced the start of training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircrafts. At the same time, the decommissioning of the ageing US-made fighters in the Scandinavian state’s service will be accelerated by two years. According to acting Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, the F-35 fighters will be put into operation by 2025 to replace the obsolete Danish military fleet, which was originally planned to provide the country’s air force in 2027, the publication Politico reports.
Lund Poulsen said that Denmark had “taken steps to train and improve the qualifications of Ukrainian pilots”. According to him, the duration of the training programme for Ukrainian pilots will take six to eight months. Additionally, Copenhagen is considering transferring the Danish F-16 fighter jets as military aid to Kiev free of charge. As the official stressed, the planes may be transferred only after Ukrainian pilots complete their training, but the decision on their transfer may be taken in advance. Therefore, the F-16s will not leave Denmark until 2024, the weekly said.
Denmark ordered 27 F-35A fighters to replace 30 F-16s in the Danish Air Force, which are more than forty years old. Transition to F-35A Joint Strike Fighter will take place from late 2023 to the end of 2025. As the author of the article notes, NATO countries recently agreed to allow Ukrainian pilots to be trained on F-16 fighters, although no member country of the North-Atlantic alliance has promised to give Ukraine the planes.
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