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USAF fighter in Russian colours. Photo supplied

Why did USAF paint fighter jet in Russian colour scheme?

A General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon has been painted in a scheme that mimics the Russian Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter.

Published: June 18, 2020, 1:13 pm

    According to Defense Blog, the fighter plane at Hill Air Force Base, located in northern Utah, recently had an exterior makeover of an “enemy” fighter.

    The “ghost” paint scheme was requested by the 64th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, responsible for Red Flag exercises, a type of training drill to prepare US pilots for aerial combat.

    “The paint scheme is intended to replicate an adversary’s fighter jet. The United States, allied, and partner-nation aircrews routinely train against accurate and realistic threats including aircraft painted to replicate those pilots might see in aerial combat,” Defense Blog reported.

    According to Scramble Magazine, “one of the color schemes used on Russia’s Su-57 fleet is to become the USAF’s standard aggressor coloring”.

    The workers took great care to replicate the Russian colours. “Usually the paint shop can apply a new coat of grey paint to an F-16 in 11 days. The time to get a ‘ghost’ F-16 aggressor was 18 days. Twelve people worked 18 days in three different shifts, to apply blue, black, two different shades of grey and red paint to the normally grey painted aircraft,” Aviation News reported.

    While NORAD recently stated that they had “intercepted” Russian planes in Alaska, the Russian Ministry of Defense tweeted that they had been flying over neutral waters. US North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced that US F-22 Raptor fighter jets “intercepted” a large group of Russian military planes some 30 miles off Alaska’s coast last week.

    Such incidents over the Bering Sea and near Alaska have occurred almost a monthly in recent times.

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