Ukraine Gets F-16 Training Boost From NATO Ally

France will train more than two dozen Ukrainian pilots to fly Western-provided F-16 fighter jets in the next few years, according to a new report.

Tensions between Kyiv and its allies have been growing over training programs for Ukrainian pilots and the number of pilots being prepared for F-16s to arrive in Ukraine.

Paris will train 26 Ukrainian pilots between 2024 and 2026, French newspaper Le Monde reported on Monday. Newsweek has reached out to the French armed forces ministry for comment via email.

A group of 10 Ukrainian pilots, all in their early 20s, are currently taking part in an accelerated six-month training program in France, using simulators and Alpha Jet aircraft, Agence France-Presse reported on Monday.

In March 2024, the U.K. said a batch of 10 Ukrainian pilots had completed basic flying, ground school and language training with the country's air force. The cohort was then sent for "advanced flying training" with the French air force.

Kyiv has long clamored for Western-made fighter jets with modern avionics and radars, like the Lockheed Martin F-16s, to boost its ability to contest Russia's superior and larger air force.

Although several countries—Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium—ultimately committed to providing F-16s to Ukraine last year, exact timelines for their arrival have remained opaque and subject to change.

Kyiv's backers have stipulated that Ukrainian personnel must complete their training programs, and that all the necessary infrastructure and facilities be up and running in the country, before the jets become operational.

Ukrainian pilots are also receiving training with the U.S. military at Tucson, Arizona, and at a Danish air base. Pilots are also set to receive instruction at an F-16 training hub in southeast Romania.

But Ukraine appears increasingly frustrated with the pace of training, and with the continued absence of Western-made jets in its skies, as Russia advances in the east of the country.

Oleksandra Ustinova, a Ukrainian politician heading Ukraine's arms and munitions commission, said the U.S. was making "excuses" for too few pilots being trained to fly F-16s. Ukraine will have 20 fully-trained pilots by the end of 2024, she told The Times in an article published on Monday.

"So far we're going to have fewer trained pilots than fighter jets," Ustinova said.

Earlier this month, Politico reported that Kyiv officials were pushing the U.S. and other partner countries to increase the number of F-16 pilots being trained, but the Arizona-based facility, the Danish program and the Romanian base had limited training spots available.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in May that Kyiv needed between 120 and 130 F-16s. The number of promised jets falls far short of this.

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