The US military will start training Ukrainian pilots in the United States for F-16 fighter jets starting next month. The pilots must first learn English, flying will start in October.

The US government had previously not ruled out that Ukrainian soldiers would be trained in the US if there was not enough capacity in Europe. The US Department of Defense says it is now also starting training as a precaution.

Ukraine has long been asking its international partners for Western fighter jets, such as the US F-16, to effectively repel Russian invasion forces. In May, Washington cleared the way for other countries to supply the F-16s to Ukraine and train pilots as well. After that, a coalition led by Denmark and the Netherlands formed among NATO countries to train Ukrainian pilots. And the Netherlands and Denmark were the first to announce that they would also be giving F-16s.

After the Netherlands and Denmark, Norway also gives F-16s to Ukraine. The Norwegian government has confirmed the move after reporting by television channel TV 2. The news comes out while Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store is in Kyiv for a visit.

Norway supports Ukraine in its efforts to build a modern air defense system. This is both important and necessary... On Sunday it was announced that Ukraine will receive the F-16s that the country has been asking for for a long time. When the country will receive the planes and how many F-16s will go in that direction is still unclear. The details of the Norwegian donation will be announced at a later date, according to the Norwegian Prime Minister. According to him, the Norwegian F-16s are donated in close cooperation with allies.

"Norway supports Ukraine in its efforts to build a modern air defense system. This is both important and necessary," said Store.

Norway replaced its fleet of 57 F-16s with the F-35 last year. Earlier this year, Oslo sold 32 more F-16s to NATO partner Romania. Furthermore, an American company has an agreement with the Norwegian government about the purchase of 12 F-16s, but those fighter jets have not yet been delivered.

Norway is part of an international coalition led by Denmark and the Netherlands that trains Ukrainian pilots to become F-16 pilots. The countries consult with each other on a weekly basis.

Eight Ukrainian pilots started their F-16 training in Denmark this week. Earlier this summer it was announced that Norway would provide two F-16s for training in Denmark.

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* Origin: AVIATION ECHO HQ (2:292/854)