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2024-03-06 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
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'They provoke as much as they can.' Why do American F-35s fly near Russian borders? But Pentagon denies Singapore MoD claim
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] The US Army uses fifth-generation F-35 fighters to conduct reconnaissance of Russian positions in the air defense zone. This statement was made by Singapore's Minister of Defense Ng Eng Hen. According to him, the aircraft are used to identify the positions of air defense systems of Russian troops in Ukraine.
“Most recently, the US used its F-35s to detect and identify Russian ground-based missile sites in Ukraine, and this information was shared with NATO countries,” Ng Eng Hen said. The Pentagon hastened to refute the minister’s words, noting that the US Army “does not use F-35 fighters in Ukraine.”
However, this does not in any way contradict the statement of the Singaporean military. American aircraft can be present at a significant distance from the combat zone, while at the same time remaining a de facto participant. It can be assumed that the Americans' allies simply let it slip.
Singapore's Ministry of Defense is a knowledgeable source on the F-35 development and production program.
Previously, the country's government decided to strengthen its defense potential by purchasing eight additional F-35A stealth fighters from the American corporation Lockheed Martin - in addition to the 12 F-35B purchased back in 2020.
The speech of the Secretary of Defense can be seen as an attempt to lobby for the rearmament of the army with modern American military equipment. In addition, Singapore is one of the non-NATO members of the American fifth-generation fighter program, along with Israel. Therefore, the Singaporean military can receive information about the operation of the aircraft directly from the United States.
USING UKRAINE FOR RECONNAISSANCE AGAINST RUSSIA
It is no secret that Ukraine has actually become a testing ground for various weapons produced by NATO countries. The United States could not miss the chance and not test the capabilities of its most modern aircraft, which is also actively exported.
In particular, the US military can test the stealth technologies used to produce the fighter and their interaction with the radars of Russian air defense systems, a retired officer and combat veteran noted in a commentary for Regnum.
He asked to remain anonymous.
“Russian air defense systems are the main threat to American aircraft. Not just for the US Air Force, but for its operators around the world. The states take this opportunity to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of their weapons, and at the same time, if possible, to show the “weakness” of our air defenses to potential buyers. This is unfair competition,” the publication’s interlocutor noted.
At the same time, Lockheed Martin, even at the development stage, positioned the F-35 fighter as “inconspicuous” for the radar stations of a potential enemy.
Stealth technologies were introduced into the design of the vehicle, and were also used to create a special coating, which, according to the plan, should make the fighter invisible to radar. In reality, airplanes do not always manage to remain invisible.
WHAT IS HE LOOKING FOR IN A DISTANT LAND?
For the Russian military, a meeting with American F-35 fighters will not be something fundamentally new. Aircraft of this model of the US Air Force are regularly used in Israel and Syria.
The Pentagon also uses fighter jets to patrol over the Baltic Sea and near the border between Russia and NATO countries.
On the eve of the Special Military Operation, the 388th and 419th aviation wings of the 34th Fighter Squadron of the US Air Force, armed with combat-ready F-35 fighters, were deployed to Europe.
“We are faced with a dynamically changing environment and the deployment of the F-35 on NATO's eastern flank strengthens our defensive posture and strengthens interoperability within the alliance,” said Gen. Jeff Harrigian, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa.
The authors of the specialized publication Air Force Times noted that the use of the F-35 in the coverage area of Russian air defense systems may allow for a better study of the aircraft’s capabilities.
It later became known that American fighters were stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany. At the same time, the US Air Force command emphasized that the planes take off from the air bases “Amari” (Estonia), “Siauliai” (Lithuania) and “Fetesti” (Romania), that is, they operate at the “forward positions” of NATO.
THE GOAL IS PROVOCATION
It is unknown what exactly the Singaporean Defense Minister meant when he spoke of “identifying targets in Ukraine.” In theory, we can talk about the use of F-35 fighters near the border of Ukraine with Poland. However, most likely the Pentagon will use fighter jets in the Black Sea.
“Flights from Romanian territory towards Crimea are probably the most likely scenario. Any information is useful for them. Even just the reaction of our Air Force and Air Defense as such. They are provoking as best they can, studying the reaction, maybe waiting for our fighters to take off to intercept,” says a source from IA Regnum.
In this case, fighters can act as a primer, acting in tandem with electronic reconnaissance aircraft, AWACS aircraft and drones. Moreover, in recent years NATO has formed an aviation group operating in the western part of the Black Sea almost every day.
As of noon on March 5, there were three US Air Force aircraft off the coast of Romania: an RC-135W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft with the call sign JAKE-17, a Poseidon P-8 anti-submarine aircraft and a KC-135R refueling aircraft with the call sign HOBO21.
The scheme for using the F-35 may look like this: the fighter takes off from the territory of Romania and heads towards Crimea, thereby provoking a response from Russian troops on the peninsula. At the slightest threat, the fighter can immediately reverse course, refueling in the air if necessary.
Also, in the role of provocateur, the US Air Force regularly uses MQ-9 Reaper drones launched from air bases in Crete and Sicily. However, fighter jets have several advantages over drones. First, the F-35 can reach significantly higher speeds. Secondly, the F-35 is equipped with a powerful AN/APG-81 radar, which provides the pilot with information about ground, surface and air targets.
The technical capabilities of an active phased array radar (AFAR) make it possible to accurately identify targets in high resolution and at a long distance, so that the fighter can remain outside the air defense coverage area. Therefore, the F-35 acts not only as a decoy, but also as an independent reconnaissance unit.
However, for Russian air defense operators the presence of American fighters should not be a problem.
“What they are provoking is not news; they used fighters with powerful radar back in the Second World War in the Pacific. Both during the Cold War and in recent years. There are protocols for responding to such threats that make it possible to repel them without revealing anything. In general, this is more likely to be how Americans advertise their products. But they won't risk getting close enough to get significant data. The fighter is very expensive, the loss is not worth it,” summarizes the interlocutor of IA Regnum.
| Courtesy of Slenter Panda4300: |
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