Ukrainian pilots begin training on much sought after F-16 fighter jets, Kyiv says Ukrainian pilots have begun training on F-16 aircraft, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said, bringing Kyiv closer to obtaining a long-sought after piece of military hardware it says is essential to counter Russian air superiority. “Training (on F-16) has begun,” Reznikov told Ukrainian media Saturday, adding that in addition to the pilots, a number of Ukrainian engineers and technicians are also training. Reznikov said that he is not going to say when the last day of training will be but noted that “a minimal term of training is six months.” He said the instructors would announce the completion of training when they were satisfied the pilots, engineers and technicians had mastered their new skills.