Ukraine and Czechia to launch joint F-16 training school, Zelenskyy says
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine and Czechia have agreed to establish a joint school for training F-16 fighter pilots. The partners are already working on the implementation of the project, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says during a press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel.
According to Zelenskyy, in addition to the ammunition supply initiative, Ukraine and Czechia are closely cooperating within the framework of the aviation coalition. The outcome of this cooperation will be the creation of a school for fighter pilots.
"Today, President Pavel and I, as well as our representatives at the level of government officials and military personnel, are discussing the next steps in the development of our aviation coalition, namely the creation of a Ukrainian-Czech F-16 school," said the Ukrainian President.
At the same time, Zelenskyy added that opening such a school within Ukraine is impossible due to security concerns amid the ongoing war.
"Russian strikes continue daily, so we are working with our partners to ensure that these schools can be opened outside of Ukraine. And we have agreed that the Czechia will work with us to implement these decisions," Zelenskyy emphasized.
F-16 for Ukraine
In 2023, Ukraine and its allies created an aviation coalition to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. According to President Zelenskyy, Ukraine needs a minimum of 128 F-16 fighters.
In 2024, the first F-16 fighters from partners arrived in Ukraine. The exact number of aircraft Ukraine has received is not fully known. The first F-16s were provided by the Netherlands and Denmark.
Also, on March 19 this year, President Zelenskyy announced that a new batch of F-16 fighters had arrived in Ukraine.
In early April, the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher Cavoli mentioned that additional F-16s are being prepared for transfer to Ukraine. However, he did not specify which country plans to supply them.
Earlier, the reports indicated that Belgium will deliver 30 F-16s to Ukraine by the end of 2028.
On May 1, TWZ reported that the United States had sent decommissioned F-16 jets to Ukraine. These aircraft will be used for spare parts.
The first Ukrainian pilots have already completed training on the F-16s, and recently, the Air Force published an interview with a Ukrainian pilot who has mastered the F-16.
