Ukraine’s 200th Pilot Earns Wings in UK Flying Course – Next Step F-16 Fighters

UK support for Ukraine reached a significant milestone on Tuesday when the Royal Air Force (RAF) Elementary Flying Training (EFT) program saw the 200th pilot having completed the training.

In a graduation ceremony attended by the UK’s Parliamentary Armed Forces Under-Secretary, Luke Pollard, and Ukraine’s Ambassador to Britain Gen. Valerii Zaluzhny the latest group of pilots were deemed ready to move on to the next phase of training.

Pollard acknowledged the trainees’ achievements posting on X / Twitter that, “These pilots will soon be flying Ukrainian F-16s. Britain will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Although the UK does not operate the F-16 the UK has been a strong advocate for the international program to provide Ukraine with pilot and technical training necessary to operate this modern aircraft.

The RAF’s EFT is, therefore, the first phase of a three-stage training program under the Ukrainian Air Capability Coalition (UACC), led by the United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The UACC is aimed at helping Kyiv develop an air force equipped with modern fighter aircraft intended to bolster Ukraine’s defense.

During the time spent in the UK, each pilot spent about 70 hours flying the GROB-115 propeller-driven aircraft, with a maximum speed of about 220 kph (140 mph).

The graduate pilots will now move on to advanced flying training provided by the French Air Force. Here they will undergo a six-month program during which time they will train on the twin-seat light attack Alpha jet aircraft. These have been modified to include an instrument panel that resembles that of the F-16 fighter.

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The pilots will undergo around 80 hours in the Alpha, which has a top speed of over 900 kph (560 mph) and which will be backed up by an additional 60 hours in a simulator.

After completion of the training in France, the pilots will move to the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) at the Fetesti Air Base in Romania where they will spend another six to nine months or so learning to fly the US-designed F-16 supersonic fighter aircraft which has a top speed of over 2,100 kph (1,300 mph). The long-term intention of the Ukrainian EFTC program is to produce three trained pilots for every aircraft operated by Ukraine.

The EFTC opened in November 2023 and is run in a collaboration between the Netherlands, Romania, and Lockheed Martin the aircraft manufacturer. The training is carried out on 18 F-16s donated by the Netherlands. The first mission-ready Ukrainian F-16 pilots graduated from the EFTC on July 26, 2024.

With France now offering Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters, Sweden considering the possible provision of JAS-39 Gripen fighter aircraft, and even Eurofighter Typhoons being considered for Ukraine, discussions are already underway to consider the training implications and if, how, and when the pilot training program will need to be modified or extended.