Romania inaugurates an F-16 jet pilot training center for NATO allies and neighboring Ukraine

By STEPHEN McGRATH
Associated Press

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — NATO member Romania has inaugurated an international training hub for F-16 jet pilots from allied countries and other partners, including Ukraine. The defense ministry says the training facility at an air base in Fetesti in southeast Romania will aim to increase interoperability between NATO allies and better position the military alliance “to face the complex challenges” in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region. It says the powerful U.S.-made warplanes will be supplied by the Royal Netherlands Air Force, while the aircraft maker Lockheed Martin will provide instructors and maintenance. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Kyiv has repeatedly asked its backers to send sophisticated fighter planes to give it a combat edge, and some NATO countries have.