The jets are ready, and the flight instructors are waiting, at a new training center in Romania that was created to teach Ukraine’s pilots to fly the F-16 warplane.
But the delay is a window into the confusion and chaos that has confronted the military alliance’s rush to supply the F-16s.
That is not to say that Ukraine’s pilots are not being prepared.
Twelve pilots so far — fewer than a full squadron — are expected to be ready to fly F-16s in combat by this summer after 10 months of training in Denmark, Britain and the United States.
But by the time the pilots return to Ukraine, as few as six F-16s will have been delivered out of about 45 of the fighter jets that European allies have promised.
Persons:
It’s
Organizations:
NATO
Locations:
Romania, Denmark, Britain, United States, Ukraine