Training will start next summer and will probably start in Denmark. Belgium and the United Kingdom are also participating in the training, the Dutch defense ministry announced on Wednesday. At last week’s G7 summit in Hiroshima, the Americans gave the green light to European training of the F-16. It was necessary, because the planes are American-made.
Ukrainians are given a crash course, as training for F-16 pilots usually takes a long time. “Even in the Netherlands, under peaceful conditions, it takes years for a pilot to be ready to act as the head of a large formation. Ukrainians don’t have that time.”
‘Even in Holland a kite is only ready after years, the Ukrainians don’t have that time’
That’s why about four months are allotted for training, says Bolder. “If you have a trained pilot, he is a pilot accustomed to conducting warfare operations with MiG aircraft.”
Computer
It takes a long time for pilots to familiarize themselves with the aircraft’s software, Bolder explains. “That F-16 is actually a flying computer. Ukrainians will quickly learn to fly. Properly managing the computer and weapon system, and also controlling other pilots in flight, takes a lot of time.’
If Ukraine does indeed control the F-16s, that could bring Ukraine’s air force a bit more on par with Russia, Bolder says. “The Russian Air Force operates aircraft that have much better capabilities than the current mix Ukraine operates with. With the arrival of the F-16, this has been balanced a bit.’
No magical weapons
The Americans have not yet given permission for the aircraft to be delivered. There is significantly more support in Europe for supplying F-16s to Ukraine. US military top general Mark Milley says F-16s will not be “a magic weapon” in Ukraine’s fight against the Russian occupier.
Yet it is suspected that it is only a matter of time before the Americans too agree to supply the fighters. It will still be a few months before that happens, Bolder suspects. First of all, a number of possible objections must be overcome. ‘Who will do the maintenance? Where will you do maintenance? These are all question marks that still need answers.’
Russian hands
According to Bolder, one should also consider what software update we give to the plane, because even the plane in the Ukrainian battle can fall into the hands of the Russians. ‘An F-16 can crash or be shot down. What technology do we think is still responsible for falling into Russian hands, and what technology should they definitely not get?’
It therefore seems sensible for Bolder to deliver an F-16 with a “stripped down software version,” he says. “You have to think very carefully about what secrets you want to reveal.
Dozens of flyers
Initially, a few dozen Ukrainian pilots will be trained, Royal Netherlands Air Force General Onno Eichelsheim told OP1 last night. Then gradually it becomes more.