Romania, Netherlands to Train Ukrainian F-16 Technicians

Romania and the Netherlands will establish a joint center for training Ukrainian technical personnel for F-16 fighter jets.

The Dutch Ministry of Defense, on May 7, the two countries signed a memorandum of intent for the creation of the joint center, during the visit of the Dutch Minister of Defense, Ruben Brekelmans, to his Romanian counterpart, Angel Tîlvăr.

The training center will be based at Fetești Air Base, which currently hosts the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC).

EFTC trains both Romanian and Ukrainian pilots. The Ministry of Defense also recalled that, at the end of last year, the decision was announced to officially transfer to Romania 18 Dutch F-16s – currently stationed at EFTC.

“Ukrainians are making full use of F-16s for air defense. We see every day how necessary this is. We need not only pilots, but also well-trained maintenance personnel. Together with Romania, we are taking another important step in this direction,” Brekelmans said.

On May 3, the US State Department approved a potential $310.5 million package for Ukraine’s purchase of F-16 maintenance and training services.

On May 4, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine and the Czech Republic are working on establishing a Ukrainian-Czech F-16 training school.