A coalition of 11 nations, led by Denmark and the Netherlands, formally agreed to train Ukrainians to fly F-16s and potentially other fighter aircraft at the NATO summit.
Nearly a dozen European countries that pledged this week to train Ukrainian pilots are still waiting on the U.S. to formally approve the program before instruction on American F-16 fighter jets can begin, according to U.S. and European officials involved in the discussions.formally agreed to train Ukrainians to fly F-16s
While President Joe Biden has promised to green-light the program, the formal request “is still being reviewed,” said Lt. Col. Garron Garn, a Pentagon spokesperson, who deferred further questions to the State Department. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment. It’s not unusual for the U.S. interagency process to approve the transfer of sensitive weapons technology, particularly ones as advanced as fighter jets, to take time.
Asked about the F-16 training package, LaPlante said that for any complex system, “we have to make sure we have the experts [available] because we need to have sustainment experts for that system … so they can be right there for the tele-maintenance,” since American and NATO advisors won’t be on the ground with the Ukrainians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month, speaking ahead of the NATO summit, reproached the West for what he characterized as a delay in training Ukrainian pilots to fly the jets. The partners hope to start the training in Romania, which is planned to be done in conjunction with F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, in October, said one Defense Department official, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive plans. They hope to have six to nine Ukrainian pilots in the first class, which will also include Romanian, Bulgarian and Slovak pilots, the official said.
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