Lockheed Martin has celebrated the graduation of the first mission-ready F-16 pilots from the European F-16 Training Centre (EFTC) in Romania.
This effort, achieved through collaboration between Lockheed Martin and the governments of the Netherlands and Romania, is seen as a step forward in enhancing NATO’s security efforts in Europe.
The EFTC, which has expanded its training fleet to include 14 Dutch F-16s, has been conducting night training missions and air-to-air exercises with other NATO air forces.
These activities aim to improve the tactical proficiency and operational readiness of Romanian pilots, contributing to the nation’s air defence capabilities.
OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of the Integrated Fighter Group at Lockheed Martin, stated, “This milestone enhances Romania’s air defence capabilities and mission readiness with our 21st Century Security training solutions. We appreciate Romania’s trust in us and are committed to supporting their pioneering efforts, including hosting the first European F-16 Training Center, which underscores their strategic importance within NATO and European defence.”
New training classes at the EFTC have already begun, with another set to start in September. This initiative involves several subcontractors, including Daedalus Aviation Group, Draken International, and Airbus subsidiary GFD, among others.
Lockheed Martin’s long-standing partnership with Romania, which spans over 26 years, includes a range of collaborations, such as establishing sustainment centres for Black Hawk helicopters and HIMARS rocket systems, and engaging in artificial intelligence research with the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca.
Great to hear that Romania has a strong F-16 pilot training pipeline but surprised that there’s no mention of the urgent need to train Ukrainian pilots given that Romania and Netherlands have been part of the F-16 supply group..
I would have thought that an initial tranche of Ukrainian pilots would have been trained by now on F-16? Didn’t the UK arrange, sponsor or fund such trg?
Clearly there will always be a need for F-16 training for newer and younger pilots coming through their system.
The first are trained and flying in Ukr now. They are easing them in as they dont want a PR disaster of them getting shot down on the first week
Starmer ?, oh. Jesús help me
Micki, what is your point about Starmer? – he was not mentioned in the article.
I think UKR F16 pilots have been trained elsewhere.
OT is there no more OSINT bunker on UKDJ?