“Trolling of the highest order.” Ukraine uses balloons that imitate the flight of the F-16 aircraft

The success of the frontline defense will also depend on how quickly the F-16s and their weapons systems reach Ukraine.

But until the F-16 aircraft reach the frontline, it seems that the Ukrainians have installed some electronic devices on the balloons, which simulate the flight of an F-16.

“I know about the purpose of using these balloons. The electronics that are placed mainly simulate the flight of F-16 aircraft. I mean what’s the point? In order to mislead the enemy’s air defense equipment”, states Oleksandr Musienko, who also detailed the process:

“Despite the fact that the balloon is flying slowly, the speed is simulated by the device. The flight of the plane appears on the radar. Therefore, the goal is to carry out combined attacks, including drone attacks, for deep strikes – strikes on Russian territory, to mislead the enemy’s air defenses and to exhaust the air defenses.”

Similar methods have been used by the Ukrainians in this war, but never to simulate an aircraft in flight. More exactly, dozens of volunteers in Ukraine produce “fake weapons” that mimic the originals, fooling Russian forces who use rockets of hundreds, perhaps even millions of dollars to destroy these well-made mock-ups.

According to Musienko, the Russians cannot do anything against such technology:

“I can’t check with binoculars at such a height. They can only trust the radar. There is no visual confirmation or denial. How can you tell if it’s a bullet or a plane? It doesn’t work like that,” says Musienko who evaluates this tool as successful.

“Furthermore, this is trolling of the highest order, in terms of how many F-16s they have already seen on the radars,” added Musienko.

The first F-16s should appear in Ukraine this summer, as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba announced.

In early April, the spokesman of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ilya Yevlash, said that Ukrainian pilots, who are learning on F-16 fighter jets in Denmark and the USA, are already practicing the tasks they will face in Ukraine , in particular, the use of missiles and aerial bombs.

The first Romanian pilot in the program at the Borcea training center to fly an F-16; The young Romanian pilot flew a Dutch F-16, assisted by Lockheed Martin instructors. Photo: Minister of Defense Angel Tîlvăr

We remind you that in Romania, at the 86th Air Base, a Training Center for F-16 pilots has been operating since last year. The first Romanian pilots have already started training, but there is still no public information regarding the participation of Ukrainian pilots in the training programs held at the Borcea F-16 Base.

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