Russia Can Now Spy And Track The F-22 Over Syria

War is Boring: Russia Can Now Spy on the F-22 Over Syria

The Kremlin can test how its warplanes track the stealth jet's radar emissions.

Russia may be using its air campaign in Syria as an opportunity to gather intelligence on U.S. forces and gain operational experience on their latest hardware. Gathering information on the U.S. Air Force’s stealthy fifth-generation F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter is of particular interest to the Russian military.

Nonetheless, the Russian expeditionary force largely follows traditional Soviet doctrine and consists of a mix of combat aircraft, air defenses and a heavily armed ground security element.

“While it appears the Russians are following their standard doctrine with regard to the deployment/employment of their ground and air assets, it’s certainly not out of the question to use their newer air-to-air assets as a form of ‘operational testing’ in the real world environment,” one senior U.S. Air Force intelligence official told me. “In a sense, we’re doing the same thing with our F-22s.”

WNU Editor: I am sure that right now in Syria there are a team of Russian aviation experts whose sole job is to gleam as much information and intel on the F-22 over Syria. I am also sure that there are a lot of Americans who are watching and analysing Russian air assets and tactics in Syria.

Update: Hawaii Air Guard F-22s Deploy To The Middle East As Tensions With Russia Build (Foxtrot Alpha)