“Russian Su-35 Fighter Jets Challenge US F-16s in Syrian Airspace: Tensions Rise”

DUBAI – Su-35 fighter jet pilot Russia recently challenged an F-16 fighter jet pilot United States of America (US) for dogfight or a duel over Syrian airspace. This was revealed by the Head of the US Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich.

According to the three-star general in charge of US air operations in the Middle East, the Russian pilot started by buzzing his fighter jet close to the American fighter jet over Syria. Grynkewich summed up the maneuver as a call for aerial combat.

“The Russian airmen were getting more and more aggressive in their approach and aggressive maneuvers, almost like they were trying to dogfight,” General Grynkewich told Defense OneSaturday (29/4/2023).

“Our protocol would say we should live…miles apart and only monitor each other.”

He warned American airmen not to get involved dogfight with Russian fighter jets.

“We’re not going to act like them,” Grynkewich said. “We will act professionally, and we will try to defuse the situation.”

For months, Grynkewich has been warning of increasingly hostile actions by Russian forces in Syria, where Moscow is supporting President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in a 12-year civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and displaced more than half of the country’s population. war.

About 900 US personnel remain in Syria claiming to be advising and assisting rebel forces fighting government troops.