Slovakia's armed forces have chosen the first 12 candidates to undergo a training for pilots of the F-16 fighter jets.
The first six have already finished their training in Slovakia and will travel to the United States this autumn to undergo the second part, the TASR newswire wrote.
The remaining six are currently undergoing national training, which will end in 2020, the Defence Ministry spokesperson Danka Capáková informed.
The armed forces are planning on employing 22 F-16 pilots as it is agreed in the contract.
Airport gets makeover
The Defence Ministry meanwhile allocated money to reconstruct Sliač airport (Banská Bystrica Region), the Hospodárske Noviny daily reported.