The Danish government said Monday, June 26, the training of Ukrainian pilots on Lockheed Martin F-16 Viper fighter jets has begun. It also said they have sped up the retirement of their F-16s by two years.
Acting Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the aging fleet of Vipers would be replaced by F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, which would begin their service to the Royal Danish Air Force by 2025 instead of 2027.
"We will also consider whether we should make a concrete donation to Ukraine of the Danish F-16 fighters, and how many there should be," he added.
Denmark has ordered 27 F-35A fighter jets to replace its 30 aging F-16s beginning in late 2023.
Ukrainian fighter pilots must spend six to eight months of training before a possible donation of Danish F-16s could be materialized, Lund Poulsen told Danish broadcaster DR. Should the fighters be transferred, they must be in Danish service until 2024.
Ukraine has long been asking for Western fighter jets to bolster its air defenses against Russia's invasion. After initial reluctance, the US and other NATO countries agreed to allow Ukrainian pilots to receive F-16 training without any concrete promise of handing over any planes.
NATO has earlier planned to train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 in Romania.
Sweden Trains Ukrainian Pilos on JAS-39 Gripen Jets
The news came as the Swedish Armed Forces were also tasked to train Ukrainian pilots and other aviation personnel on the Saab JAS-39 Gripen.
Ukraine has previously invited the Swedish government to assess the possibility of supplying and training Ukrainian pilots on the Gripen to strengthen Ukrainian air defenses.
The JAS-39 was a contender to Ukraine's bid to Westernize its military assets. It was developed in the 1980s for use in a possible conflict with the Soviet Union, which meant it was easy to maintain, cheap to operate, and could use roads as runways without compromising combat effectiveness if compared with the F-16.
In addition, the Gripen is a swing-role aircraft capable of any type of mission with its 10 weapon hardpoints.
Sweden also recently received a joint intention from Ukraine, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic to purchase a total of 1,000 CV90 infantry fighting vehicles after the Swedish government pledged to donate several units of the highly-acclaimed IFV aside from some artillery pieces in January.
