Ukrainian pilots begin F-16 training in Romania

The first group of Ukrainian pilots has started its F-16 fighter jet training at Romania's regional hub this week, the NATO country's defence ministry told AFP on Friday.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv has been looking to boost its air force, asking the West to donate advanced military jets and sending pilots to train in NATO countries, including France.

Romania inaugurated a hub for F-16 training at its Fetesti air base in November 2023, pledging to also train Ukrainians there.

The first four Ukrainian pilots arrived earlier this week and have started their "theoretical training", Romanian defence ministry spokesperson Constantin Spinu told AFP.

He said that practical training could begin "towards the end of the year".

Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov welcomed the programme on social media, saying it would ensure that there are "more F-16s in Ukrainian skies".

The Fetesti hub is part of the country's air base situated about 150 kilometres outside the capital Bucharest, and was inaugurated after an agreement with the Netherlands was reached to make several F-16s available for training.

The planes are maintained by its US-based manufacturer Lockheed Martin, who also provides the training.

The Romanian army has 26 F-16 jets in total, of which 17 were bought from Portugal and nine from Norway.

Norway is due to supply a further 23 jets to Romania by the end of 2025.