A group of Ukrainian pilots have completed a six-month training in France, the French Air Force announced last week.
It is the second leg of a three-part training program, with the first phase in the UK and the third in Romania.
The group began training in France in March on the Alpha Jet aircraft, a light attack jet and advanced jet trainer.
The aircraft is fitted with panels that simulate the instruments of an F-16 and can fly at a maximum speed of 900 km/hour (559 miles/hour).
The training comprises about 80 hours in the air and 70 on a simulator, according to Euro News.
In the UK, the pilots were trained for 80 hours on a GROB-115 general aviation aircraft, which has a top speed of about 220 km/hour (137 miles/hour), the outlet added.
Compressed Training
Meanwhile, the final leg is expected to allow the group to train on the F-16s for 60 hours. The aircraft can fly at a maximum speed of around 2,100 kilometers/hour (1,305 miles/hour).
The group reportedly consists of ten members. Although the French Air Force previously committed to train 26 Ukrainian pilots, according to Le Monde.
“This is a significant effort, given that the French Air Force normally certifies around 30 pilots a year, after four or five years worth of training,” the French outlet wrote in June.
Apart from the three-phase program, Ukrainian pilots are undergoing training in the US and Denmark to operate the fourth-generation Lockheed Martin aircraft, 90 of which have been committed to Ukraine by partner nations.