Are the Dutch going to send the pilots and maintenance crews also?
They won't admit it when they do. Wouldn't that be the Netherlands going to war against Russia?
“Who can pilot them?”
“Are the Dutch going to send the pilots and maintenance crews also?”
They plan to dribble them in small batches, as pilots and support personnel graduate from training (Even the training will be phased - a quick initial capability, then gradually rotating people back for more skills).
The first small batches are expected around New Year’s Day.
From CNN:
“(Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen) “Today we announce that we will provide 19 F-16 jets to Ukraine... We plan to provide the jets closer to the new year, about six of them, then eight in the next year (2024) and then another five (in 2025).””
The Dutch are providing aircraft in the near term, for the Ukrainian pilot training programs standing up in Denmark and Romania, and will later begin transferring aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force. The expectation is that they will also be phased in small batches over a few years, as personnel are trained, in a unit set train/equip cycle, as was done with the Western tanks.
Several other potential donor Nations were involved in the coordination effort to provide fighter jets to the Ukraine - they are likely to announce additional contributions as well. All the rich NATO Countries are replacing their F-16’s with F-35s.
Sweden has also begun training Ukrainians on their Grippen Fighter Jets, which are well suited to shorter runways(like Ukraine is currently using, to hide its jets from the Russians).
The overall Multi-National effort aims to build up to somewhere between 200-300 Western fighter jets in the Ukrainian Air Force, over the next few years (2026-27).
There really is no option for the Ukrainians, but to transition to Western jets - ordering parts from Russia is never going to fly, after what has occurred.