 The signing of the coalition Memorandum in Vilnius, Lithuania | |
 Coalition countries Ukraine | |
| Nickname | Ocean's 11[1] |
|---|---|
| Formation | 11 July 2023 |
| Founders |  Denmark Netherlands |
| Founded at | Vilnius, Lithuania |
| Type | Military coalition |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | Training of F-16 pilots and ground personnel |
Area served | NATO and allied countries |
Membership | 14 countries and  Ukraine
|
The F-16 training coalition is an international coalition formed on 11 July 2023 during the Vilnius Summit with the task of training F-16 pilots, technicians, and support personnel for the Ukrainian Air Force. It originally consisted of 11 nations: Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, as well as Ukraine.[2] The group was nicknamed the "Ocean's 11" by Ukrainian Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov, in reference to the American film Ocean's Eleven.[1] On 22 August, it was announced that Greece had also joined the coalition, while on 24 August, the United States announced it joined the training efforts as well.[3][4]
As part of the coalition efforts, a training hub will also be set up in Romania. The Netherlands, Romania, and Lockheed Martin will contribute to the creation and maintenance of this center.[5]
- ^ a b Shukla, Sebastian; Marquardt, Alex (23 July 2023). "Ukrainian defense minister says F-16 training will start in August, with pilots in the skies next year". CNN.
- ^ "In Vilnius, Oleksii Reznikov signed the Memorandum on the establishing of the coalition for the training Ukrainian pilots for the F-16". mil.gov.ua. 2023-07-11.
- ^ Voichuk, Iryna (22 August 2023). "Greece joins Ukraine's F-16 fighter jet coalition". Euromaidan Press.
- ^ Clark, Joseph (24 August 2023). "U.S. Will Train Ukrainian F-16 Pilots, Ground Crews". defense.gov.
- ^ Petrișor, Adelin (14 July 2023). "Centrul pentru pregătirea piloţilor de F-16 de la Fetești, organizat de România, Olanda şi o companie americană". TVR (in Romanian).