The Netherlands on Tuesday sent the first five F-16 fighter jets to Romania to train Ukrainian pilots, Reuters reports. The planes landed at Feteşti Air Base, MApN reports.

The Netherlands will supply 12 to 18 F-16s from its air force for use in a new European pilot training center in Romania that will soon be opened, the defense ministry announced in The Hague on Tuesday, News.ro said. .

MApN: The training center will help speed up the process of training Romanian pilots

Five F-16 aircraft of the Royal Netherlands Air Force landed on Tuesday, November 7, at the 86th Air Force Base “Lieutenant Aviator Gheorghe Mochornice” in Fetest, MApN reports.

• “The aircraft will be operated by the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC), established as a result of cooperation between the Ministry of National Defense through the Romanian Air Force and the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands through the Royal Air Force. , in partnership with Lockheed Martin and with the support of the Kingdom of Denmark, the country-coordinator of the international F-16 coalition, along with the Netherlands.
• The center will become an international center for training F-16 pilots and will contribute to increased operational interoperability between allies. At the same time, it will contribute to the creation of common operational standards and strengthening the ability of the North Atlantic Alliance to face complex challenges in the Black Sea region and Eastern Europe. Under the cooperation agreement, the Romanian Ministry of Defense is providing the 86th Air Base, training facilities and host nation support, the Royal Netherlands Air Force is providing F-16s, and Lockheed Martin is providing instructors and maintenance.
• The EFTC will help speed up the training process for Romanian pilots in the context of the Romanian Army preparing to receive 32 F-16 aircraft recently purchased from Norway.

• Given the current geopolitical context and Romania’s strategic position in the Black Sea region, this center becomes important for cross-border cooperation, strengthening security and strengthening solidarity within NATO. By creating the European F-16 Training Center, Romania aims to provide a high-quality training environment with access to the most modern technical resources and know-how not only for Romanian pilots, but also for pilots from allied states and partners, including Ukraine.”

At the end of last month, during a video call with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that the Netherlands would send F-16 aircraft to Romania within two weeks.

The Dutch also promised to supply Ukraine with F-16s for combat operations. Similar promises were made by Denmark, Norway and Belgium.

In late August, Defense Minister Angel Tilvar signed a letter of intent between the Romanian Ministry of National Defense, the Royal Netherlands Ministry of Defense and Lockheed Martin for an F-16 training center in Romania.

For this project, the Royal Netherlands Air Force will contribute by deploying several F-16 aircraft at the 86th Air Force Base “Lieutenant Aviator Gheorghe Mochornica”, thus contributing to the effective training of pilots.

“Through this center, Romania aims to provide a high-quality training environment with access to the latest generation technical resources and know-how not only for Romanian pilots, but also for pilots from allied and partner countries, including Ukraine,” the minister said. of national defense announced at that time.

• Read also: Why F-16 fighters are not a “silver bullet” for Ukraine in the war with Russia

F-16, the most popular fighter in the world

The F-16 is a multirole aircraft capable of performing air defense missions, strike missions against land and sea targets in all weather conditions, day and night, and aerial reconnaissance missions.

The USAF calls the F-16, which first entered service in the 1970s, “a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system.”

Thousands of aircraft were built over the decades and hundreds of aircraft were exported around the world.

Nearly 2,200 F-16s are currently in service worldwide, making it the most popular fighter jet on the planet, accounting for 15 percent of the world’s fleet, according to the director of Air Force Flight Global.

• Read about the F-16 Training Center in Romania here

Are F-16 Expectations Too High?

Serhii Golubtsov, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, said in the spring that Ukraine desperately needs F-16 fighter jets, which, he said, are “four to five times” more effective than the Soviet-era ones currently in use in Ukraine.

But a pilot who still flies an F-16 fighter jet told CNN that Ukrainians’ expectations may actually be too high.

“To your question about whether the F-16 will matter. He won’t do it,” the pilot said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the subject.

“There are other planes more powerful than the F-16”

Ukraine announced the need for about 200 F-16 fighters.

“The West has a surplus of F-16s that provide immediate availability and a well-established logistics route,” said Robert Hopkins, a former U.S. Air Force pilot.

“There are other aircraft that are more capable than the F-16, but they are fewer and they are not available for transfer,” Hopkins added.

Holland, the most convenient answer

The former pilot is probably referring to the American-made F-35 and F/A-18 or the French Air Force Rafale. There are others, less known.

“The best aircraft from a technical point of view would undoubtedly be the Swedish Gripen, due to its combat capabilities, ability to operate from hard bases and easier maintenance,” said Peter Leighton of the Griffith Asia Institute and a former officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, referring to the Gripen aircraft. light multipurpose single-engine aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aircraft company SAAB.

“However, the annual level of their production is low and there are none.”

Peter Leighton cited the Netherlands as an example where the F-16 might be the easiest answer for Ukraine.

“The Dutch (have) about 40 F-16s. These Dutch aircraft have been gradually modernized, have relatively modern radar and avionics systems and are capable of using modern weapons,” Leighton said.