RAF prepared 200 Ukrainian pilots for advanced F-16 training, says British Embassy
Nation2 January 2025, 08:53 AM
Two hundred Ukrainian pilots have received basic flight, ground and English language training in the United Kingdom as part of the OP Interstorm program, which is necessary to continue advanced flight training on F-16 fighter jets, the British Embassy in Ukraine reported on Facebook on Jan. 1.
“RAF instructors taught them general aircraft handling, flying by the aircraft’s instruments, low level navigation and advanced formation flying,” the embassy said.
The OP Interstorm mission is a joint effort to train completely new Ukrainian pilots from the ground up on NATO-standard equipment, eventually culminating in F-16 training.
On Dec. 7, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the United States has trained a limited number of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s, not because of a lack of readiness but because Ukraine lacks enough pilots to develop full F-16 capabilities in time.
On Dec. 7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the arrival of a second batch of F-16s from Denmark.