Ukrainian F-16 Pilots Will Be Trained in Romania

According to an official press release following the Supreme Council for National Defence – CSAT, Romania will have a regional training hub on its territory for the F-16 pilots from NATO countries and NATO allied countries, including Ukraine.

This news confirms the rumour that Romania drew the short straw and the country will organize training hubs for the Ukrainian F-16 pilots. However, this will not be an immediate action plan, as some phases will be passed in the long run.

First, this regional hub will be created, and later, the Romanian pilots will start training. Other countries, including Ukraine, will send their pilots to the center only after their training.

Romania has some F16 fighter jets, but the country plans on buying more from Norway. Also, Romania will buy a fleet of F-35 by 2030, as decided in April this year. Such a flight training center will help Romanian pilots get the necessary abilities on the above-mentioned aircraft.

During the CSAT meeting, Romania’s involvement in a new transatlantic project was also analyzed, namely the creation of a pilot training facility for the operation of F-16 aircraft in our country.

Together with other allies and the company that designs this fighter plane, a regional hub will be created in Romania to train pilots who will fly these planes.

Romanian pilots who operate F-16 aircraft will be trained here, and the facility will later be opened to the participation of pilots from allied and NATO partner states, including Ukraine.

This regional training hub will cover the training requirements of allies and regional partners, which will position Romania as a regional leader in F-16 pilot training, thus contributing to increasing cohesion, demonstrating unity and strengthening the deterrence and defence posture of Euro-Atlantic.

Official press release after the CSAT meeting

This news will undoubtedly contribute to intensifying the feelings against the Ukrainians of those who are not comfortable with the Ukrainian presence in Romania. The country is the last in the EU in the population’s support of the refugees, but the Government has to dance to international and allied tunes.

There is tension between Romania and Ukraine, but the Romanian authorities do their best to hide the controversial subjects from the general public. If the general public understands how much help Romania offers Ukraine or how many concessions it makes, this could seriously hit the ruling Coalition in power in Bucharest just before next year’s general elections.

The wealthy Ukrainians in Bucharest, the law on the Romanian minorities from Ukraine, and the Bystroye Canal problems are the most recent ones. Still, the opinion polls show that fewer and fewer Romanians support the Ukrainian cause.