RUSSIAN PILOTS: "THE WEST WILL BE SHOCKED BY THE DOWNING OF F-16S - OUR FIGHTERS ARE SUPERIOR
Russian pilots: "The West will be shocked by the downing of F-16s - Our fighters are superior and we are ready"
"The West will be shocked by the downing of F-16s. Our fighters excel in almost all areas" Russian pilots say in an interview on Russian television.
The first F-16s are only a matter of time before they start appearing on Ukrainian airwaves.
Countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark have already agreed to provide dozens of such fighters to Kiev, and what remains to be determined is from which airfields they will operate (if bases inside or even outside Ukraine are used).
On the other side, the Russians, although they have warned about the escalation that their delivery will bring to Ukraine, have made it clear that the F-16s have no chance of changing the balance on the field.
In a report on Russian television, Russian pilots reveal that they have been preparing for a long time for a... meeting with Western-made fighters.
When the pilot of the Russian P.A. asked if he fears the imminent arrival of F-16s in Ukraine, he replied:
“It will appear and there will now be a new target. What's the difference; We are waiting for him to appear."
"Generally it has not changed. We know the strengths and weaknesses of the F-16," another Russian pilot tells the camera, adding:
"If we meet it in close combat, we will push it into conditions where we will have the upper hand and where it (including the F-16) will be nothing.
That is why we conduct all kinds of exercises and remember who and what we are fighting.
We realize that they will act cunningly and lay ambushes.
But our aircraft outperforms the F-16 in everything, both in terms of maneuverability and armament."