Belgium confirmed on Monday that it has begun training Ukrainian pilots to fly American-made F-16 fighter jets, EFE and Agerpres report.

“The Ministry of Defense accepted the training. The training is ongoing,” the press service of the Belgian army told the French-language newspaper Le Soir, without specifying the exact date of the start of this training.

On August 18, the United States gave Ukraine the green light for US-made F-16 fighter jets, and this Sunday, the Netherlands and Denmark confirmed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi that his country could count on these aircraft in the future in the Ukrainian army’s counteroffensive against the Russian invasion.

Belgium, together with these countries, is part of the so-called “F-16 coalition”, which consists of 11 NATO member countries and which promised that Kyiv would have these fighters.

Belgium still needs its F-16s

However, Brussels currently does not plan to supply its F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, but only to participate in the training of Ukrainian pilots.

Belgium still needs its F-16s to remain operational for several years before the delivery of the 34 F-35s ordered from Lockheed Martin, Le Soir reported.

The first two F-35 aircraft will be delivered in the first half of 2024, and the entire fleet will be updated in 2030 at a rate of four aircraft per year, writes the Belgian publication.

In order for the Ukrainian military to be able to use the F-16s, it is necessary that Ukrainian pilots undergo extensive training on these devices and that the country has the necessary equipment and maintenance facilities to be able to operate from its territory. .

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