Training centre – The European F-16 Training Centre in Romania opened on Monday at the 86th air base in Feteşti, in the south-east, in the presence of the defence ministers of Romania and The Netherlands. The centre will provide training for F-16 pilots from allied and partner states, including Ukraine, as well as from Romania, whose army is to be supplied with 32 F-16 aircraft purchased from Norway. Romania’s defence minister Angel Tîlvăr noted the short time in which the centre was established and said its location in this country is proof of the trust of NATO states in Romania. Netherlands’ defence minister Kajsa Ollongren said Romanian pilots would have priority, but the centre will also provide training for Ukrainian pilots, as Netherlands, Denmark and Norway are about to deliver F-16 planes to Ukraine. She said Ukrainian pilots already began training in Denmark and the United States. The centre was created based on a collaboration agreement under which Romania is to provide the base, the training facilities and the support of the host nation, the Royal Netherlands Air Force is to supply the F-16 aircraft and the American company Lockheed Martin, which makes the planes, is to provide the instructors and the maintenance.
