Bohl said there is "no actual combat data" to show how the F-22 would fare against the Su-35 but argued that the "more pertinent angle" to the US deployment is demonstrating political will to continue committing top-line assets to Syria. The most advanced fighter Russia has deployed to Syria is the Su-35. "Due to the increasingly aggressive posture of Russian forces toward US forces in Syria, it is not surprising that the US would want to have fifth-generation fighter assets in place that can both strike Russian forces on the ground from a greater distance and ward off Russian attack aircraft," Heras said. On several occasions in 2017, Russian jets intentionally crossed the deconfliction line established over the Euphrates River and flew "within striking distance or directly over" US and allied forces on the ground, sometimes for up to 30 minutes. Ryan Bohl, a senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at risk-intelligence company RANE, told Insider it is "hard to verify" whether there has been an increase in aggressive flying by Russian pilots but that "there has been a long-standing pattern of Russian harassment and brinksmanship with US forces both in the air and on the ground in Syria." The F-22 redeployment is "part of a multifaceted show of US support and capability in the wake of what I would deem increasingly unsafe and unprofessional behavior" by Russian aircraft in Syria, Grynkewich said, arguing it was necessary because of Russia's increasing "unprofessional behavior" and its pilots "flying in a more assertive manner against us." The return of the F-22s - a stealth fighter jet designed for air superiority - is notable in light of a broader effort by the US military to shift advanced warplanes from the Middle East to Europe and the Pacific.Ī US Air Force A-10C refuels from a KC-135 over the Middle East in April. Grynkewich spoke shortly after the US Air Force redeployed F-22s to the Middle East. ![]() "So any time you have an air force that has fallen so low on the professional ladder that they're giving medals for buffoonery in the air, you've really got to wonder what they're thinking." ![]() The pilot was rewarded for that action, proving that Russia encourages such "unprofessional behavior," Grynkewich said. Speaking to reporters last month, Grynkewich pointed to a mid-March incident in which a Russian fighter jet struck an American MQ-9 Reaper drone, forcing it down in the Black Sea. Russian airstrikes hit a crowded market in Idlib province on June 24 and 25, killing nine people, and in addition to unsafe flying, Russian jets armed with air-to-surface weapons have overflown US troop positions in Syria in recent months. Äzzeddin Kasim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images ![]() The aftermath of a deadly Russian airstrike in Idlib, Syria on June 25, 2023. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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