U.S. Jets Are Not Masquerading as Russians Over Syria.
Video by Lance Cpl. Jacob Prescott Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort- Combat Camera
Marine Corps and Navy F/A-18 and F-16 pilots participate in Top Gun jet fighter training aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, SC. The Pilots enganged in simulated aerial combat with F-18 and F-16 jets.
Top Gun MCAS Beaufort
Published on Aug 27, 2014.
Italian aviation reporter David Cenciotti covered that training event. According to Cenciotti, the 2014 video depicts Marine F-18s from squadron VMFAT-101 along with F-16s from the the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, “including some adversaries in Flanker color scheme.”
Training with enemy equipment
-?or your own equipment painted like the enemy’s?-?is a practice dating back to World War II. The German air force had its Zirkus Rosarius that flew captured American P-51s and P-47s, among other Allied warplanes.
The United States began using domestically-made F-5 fighters and A-4 attack planes as adversaries as long ago as the 1960s?-?and still employs F-5s in that role today. The F-5s and A-4s often wore?-?and the F-5s still do wear?-?paint schemes based on Soviet colors.
If the United States really were interested in framing Russia for bombing raids in Syria, it would be much easier for Washington to simply purchase the Russian planes from friendly countries that already own them.
But that obviously hasn’t occurred.
F-18 Specification overview
The F/A-18 has a top speed of Mach 1.8 (1,034 knots, 1,190 mph or 1,915 km/h at 40,000 ft or 12,190 m).
It can carry a wide variety of bombs and missiles, including air-to-air and air-to-ground, supplemented by the 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon.
It is powered by two General Electric F404 turbofan engines, which give the aircraft a high thrust-to-weight ratio.
The F/A-18 has excellent aerodynamic characteristics, primarily attributed to its leading edge extensions (LEX).
The fighter’s primary missions are fighter escort, fleet air defense, Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD), air interdiction, close air support and aerial reconnaissance.
Its versatility and reliability have proven it to be a valuable carrier asset, though it has been criticized for its lack of range and payload compared to its earlier contemporaries, such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat in the fighter and strike fighter role, and the Grumman A-6 Intruder and LTV A-7 Corsair II in the attack role.
