The Netherlands to open F-16 training center for Ukrainian, Romanian pilots on Monday

The Netherlands, alongside Romania and Lockheed Martin, will open the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) in Romania on Monday, the Ministry of Defense announced in a statement on Thursday afternoon. The Dutch armed forces will make 12 to 18 units of the F-16 fighter jets available for its use. The fighter jets will remain the property of the Netherlands and will be used to train Romanian and Ukrainian pilots.

The training center was the result of initial proposals from the Netherlands and Denmark, and the United States soon joined the initiative. The American aerospace company Lockheed Martin will provide training and maintenance for the jets.

Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren will open the training center alongside her Romanian counterpart Angel Tîlvăr and Lockheed Martin Vice President Orlando "OJ" Sanchez. The opening ceremony is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

“The training center in Romania is a further step in the European efforts to provide F-16 capability to Ukraine,” the ministry stated. The Netherlands previously expressed its intention to deliver F-16s to Ukraine and to develop a plan for F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots.

The first five Dutch F-16 fighter jets arrived in Romania on Wednesday. The Dutch military will send the remaining F-16 fighter jets this year, said General Onno Eichelsheim, the Commander of the Armed Forces (CDS). "We are now assuming that they need eighteen, and we are planning accordingly," Eichelsheim said to ANP.