The war in Ukraine is different from other wars as far as air combat is concerned. For that reason, Tactics taught to Ukrainian pilots during his training with the have been ineffective to fight the Russian forces.
In that sense, a Ukrainian F-16 pilot explained in a video shared why “when we return home after training, we face reality: “The tactics we were taught abroad didn’t quite fit the war we’re fighting.”
As the pilot highlighted, the training carried out by NATO “was based on the type of wars that our partners had previously fought. But “This war is fundamentally different.”
That difference lies in the fact that The front line is heavily protected by Russian surface-to-air missile systems and fighter jets.such as the Su-35, Su-57 and MiG-31. This scenario puts Ukrainian aircraft at risk.
“We had to figure out how to destroy missiles and drones”
To respond to such situations, Ukrainian F-16 pilots have developed their own combat strategies. “We had to sit down and figure out how to destroy cruise missiles, attack drones and fight the enemy near the front line,” said the pilot.
In this regard, the Ukrainian pilot detailed that Russian threats “can remain in standby mode, waiting for our groups to fly at high altitude. Unfortunately, we do not have that advantage. Therefore, “We have to fly lower to avoid the threat of surface-to-air missile systems.”
Flying at low altitudes makes it much more difficult for Russian radars and missile guidance systems to locate (and attack) Ukrainian fighter jets, as The ground performs a blocking function for radar signals.
