Countries promised the fighter jets last year, but delivering them and training pilots have proved complex. It’s still unclear when Ukrainian pilots will begin training at the center, at the Fetesti air base in southeast Romania, which NATO allies also are using to get schooled on the fighter jets. That is not to say that Ukraine’s pilots are not being prepared. Twelve pilots are expected to be ready to fly F-16s in combat by this summer. But by the time the pilots return to Ukraine, as few as six F-16s will have been delivered out of about 45 of the fighter jets that European allies have promised. The F-16s would likely come armed with short- and medium-range missiles and bombs, partially making up for the shortage of ground-based munitions. Yet officials agreed that much uncertainty remains about when each country will send its jets, how many will be sent, how fast pilots can be trained, and how Ukraine will get enough people who can maintain the planes properly.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/world/europe/ukraine-f16-pilots.html