Denmark to stop training Ukrainian F-16 pilots beyond 2024

Denmark will stop training Ukrainian F-16 pilots by the end of this year as the country transitions to operating F-35 fighter jets, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on June 24.

“We are going to switch to flying the F-35, so we have to devote our energy to that and therefore we cannot continue training Ukrainian pilots after 2024,” Poulsen said at a press conference on Monday.

The first Danish F-16s are expected to arrive in Ukraine this summer. The country will send 19 F-16 aircraft to kyiv, as well as equipment for F-16 fighter jets. kyiv also hopes to receive planes from the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway.

Denmark will soon complete the training of around 20 Ukrainian F-16 pilots at Skrydstrup air base.

Poulsen noted that Ukraine would be able to “contribute” to training F-16 pilots in another capacity, although he did not provide details on future training.

Efforts are currently underway to train Ukrainian F-16 pilots in Romania and the United States.

A strong supporter of Ukraine, Denmark has already allocated 64.8 billion Danish crowns (over $9 billion) in military aid as part of its Ukraine fund for the period 2023-2028.

Denmark is awaiting the arrival of 27 new F-35 fighter jets, the first of which arrived in Denmark in September 2023.

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