The 18 F-16 fighter jets allocated by the Netherlands to the European F-16 Training Centre in Romania, of the 42 aircraft made redundant after the new F-35 fleet was completely received, are arriving in Eastern Romania at Fetesti, Economica.net reported. The rest of the 24 aircraft are being sent to Ukraine.

Initially, the Netherlands intended to sell its last F-16s to the American company Draken International, which provides security and defense services, but the war in Ukraine changed its plans.

The European F-16 Training Center in Romania, operating in the 86 Fetești Air Base, was inaugurated in November 2023.

"The European F-16 Training Center will play a vital role in training Romanian pilots to operate these high-performance aircraft. Through this ambitious initiative, we aim not only to train a significant number of pilots but also to obtain new qualifications for those who already operate F-16 aircraft in Romania," said the Romanian minister of defense on that occasion.

iulian@romania-insider.com

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