From March to September, Belgium will send two two-seat F-16 fighters and roughly 50 personnel to Denmark for the purpose of training Ukrainian pilots.

According to Belgian public broadcaster RTBF with reference to the country’s Ministry of Defence, Norway announced on 3 January that it is sending two F-16 aircraft to Skrydstrup air base in Denmark, where they will train Ukrainians.

According to the press service of the Belgian Ministry of Defence, the Belgian Air Force will do the same. Two Belgian F-16B jets will be stationed in Denmark from March to September, over two eight-week periods, along with about 50 troops.

The purpose of the training mission will be to train not only pilots, but also Ukrainian technicians and mission planners.

Ukrainian pilots are to be trained in Romania, Denmark, the USA and the UK. The first six Ukrainian pilots have already completed basic training with the UK’s Royal Air Force and are currently learning to fly F-16 fighter jets in Denmark.

The European F-16 Training Centre (EFTC), where Ukrainian pilots will also be trained, has been opened at Feteşti Air Base in Romania with the assistance of the Netherlands.