The pilots of the American F-35 stealth fighters, which were sent to patrol the area near the Russian borders, complained about the “deceptive” maneuvers of the Russian S-300 air defense systems, writes AirForceTimes.
The publication notes that F-35 aircraft cannot recognize objects every time. The reason for this was the digital means of evading surveillance, which is equipped with Russian air defense systems.
“We saw SA-20, we knew it was SA-20, but my fighter couldn’t identify it,” complains Colonel Craig Andrle, commander of the US Air Force’s 388th Fighter Wing. .
Another air patrol participant, Brad Bashor, confirmed that there were no provocations from Russian and Belarusian aircraft. According to him, the pilots on both sides were doing the same thing: they were looking at each other and continuing to fly.
Washington decided in February 2022 to strengthen the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance. F-35 fighters and AH-64 helicopters were sent there, and about 800 military personnel were also deployed in the Baltic countries.
Only about half of America’s F-35 fighters are ready for combat missions, Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt said. He noted that this state of affairs is unacceptable and promised to increase the figures by at least 10% during the year. F-35 pilots complain about Russian S-300 ‘misleading’ maneuvers
