Next generation of Ukrainian fighter pilots get to grips with F-16 fighter jet
Ukrainian pilots have been getting to grips with the F-16 fighter jet as they prepare to take to the skies in defence of their home country.
The Danish air force has been training the next generation of Ukrainian fighter pilots to fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
The Danish instructors at the Skrydstrup Air Base are training Ukrainian pilots, technicians and ground crew how to fly and maintain the advanced multi-role fighter.
According to Nato, the F-16 will significantly strengthen Ukraine's ability to continue defending its airspace and territory against Russia's war of aggression.
The first jets are expected to enter service later this year.
In footage released by Nato, the Ukrainian pilots are full of praise for the F-16, noting its responsive controls and agile flight features.
"It is really a super fun jet to fly," said a pilot known only by the callsign Moonfish.
"I'm not saying that the MiG that I flew before is super boring, but the F-16 is definitely more agile. "It easily moves. The moment you think of something, it turns."
The Ukrainian pilot added: "I felt proud, not only for myself, but for the rest of the guys and that we are doing it now. "I know how much work has been done to have this opportunity.
"The biggest boost here is the motivation to go back and keep fighting with new jets."
Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway are all donating F-16s to Ukraine to help defend the skies from Russian forces.
Major General Jan Dam, Chief of the Air Command of the Royal Danish Air Force, said: "It [the F-16] has been updated several times and actually, as it is right here, it's a very, very modern aircraft. "It's competitive with the best Western fighters. And I'm sure that the Ukrainian air force will benefit from that."
Maj Gen Dam added: "We are in this together and we have a lot of sympathy with the Ukrainian people and we want to do whatever we can to help."
Despite the F-16 being a very capable aircraft, it has found itself being replaced by some Western air forces.
The aircraft has been in the air for more than 50 years since taking its first flight in 1974.
In April, a senior Ukrainian military official, despite a lengthy training programme to operate the aircraft being under way, labelled the F-16 as "no longer relevant".
The high-ranking Ukrainian officer reportedly told Politico: "Every weapon has its own right time. F-16s were needed in 2023. They won't be right for 2024."
He explained the aircraft would have been better suited to fight in Ukraine last year, but its window of opportunity may now have closed.
Russia had already worked out ways to counter the jet, limiting its usefulness on the frontline, he warned.
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