US contractor lists jobs for F-16 trainers for Ukrainians in Romania
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The UK Ministry of Defense is extending an essential training program for Ukrainian troops, while a US contractor seeks F-16 trainers for Kiev.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky awards pilots on the occasion of the Air Forces Day against the background of Ukraine's Air Force's F-16 fighter jets in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, on August 4, 2024. (AP)
Ukraine is poised to receive more Western military backing as both the United States and the United Kingdom offer training to Ukrainian troops.
A Sputnik report has revealed that a US defense contractor, Draken International, is looking to hire former US military pilots as instructors for NATO's regional F-16 training headquarters in Romania.
Ukraine, which has received several US-developed F-16 fighter jets, is in urgent need of training pilots on the operation of the warplane.
According to Sputnik, Ukrainian pilots would be trained in the same base in Romania.
Draken listed several jobs on its official website to support its work at the Romanian Air Force F-16 Training Center, located at the 86th Air Base in the country. The center was first opened in November last year, where nearly 50 Ukrainian pilots have qualified for training on F-16s.
The jobs were limited to Draken's US-based website and were not seen on the company's Europe-based subsidiary Draken Europe.
F-16 Instructor Pilot, F-16 Tactical Aircraft Maintenance Technician, and Aircrew Flight Equipment Specialist are among the multiple positions listed by the company. Most of these jobs were posted in mid-August this year.
In early August, Politico reported that Western efforts to train Ukrainian pilots to fly advanced F-16 jets are being hampered by the service members’ poor English language skills. According to sources, of Ukraine's 32 pilots selected for training, only 8 had enough English proficiency to partake in a future training program.
It is also worth noting that a recently delivered Ukrainian F-16 fighter crashed under unusual circumstances on August 26, with some reports attributing it to "pilot error".
Read more: Zelensky abruptly fires Ukrainian Air Force general after F-16 crash
UK to extend training program for Ukrainians
As for Ukraine's largest European backer, the UK has announced the extension of Operation Interflex, its military training initiative for Ukrainian forces, through the end of 2025, according to the UK Ministry of Defense.
On Friday, Politico reported that UK Defence Secretary John Healey would confirm this extension during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Initially set to conclude this year, the program has been extended to incorporate frontline lessons from the ongoing conflict. Over 45,000 Ukrainian troops have already completed training under Operation Interflex since Russia's Special Military Operation in early 2022.
The program, launched in June 2022, is the largest UK-led military training operation since World War II, with support from Northern European and Baltic nations, as well as Australia and Canada.
Read more: 500 military specialists killed, wounded in Russian strike: Reports
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