France plans to train 26 Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets within two years. According to French newspaper Le Monde, some will already be able to finish their training in September.
The pilots are expected to train on Alpha Jet aircraft and simulators. After that, they will go to a base in Romania, where they will be trained on the F-16s themselves.
At the moment 10 Ukrainian pilots aged from 21 to 23 are undergoing training.
Before arriving in France, they spent several months in the UK, where, among other things, they learnt English.
The newspaper said that France had decided to shorten the training period for pilots. Now the training should last six months, not a year and a half.
Earlier in the Ukrainian air forces advised the population not to expect a quick effect from the aircraft F-16. According to some reports, they may appear there already in the summer.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said earlier that Denmark intended to send F-16s to Ukraine as soon as possible.
