American F-16 (Fighting Falcon) multirole light fourth-generation fighters are vulnerable to the Russian air defense system, and pilots lack the experience to operate these aircraft, according to The Wall Street Journal.
As the WSJ notes, F-16 operators hoped to gain an advantage in air combat with Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft, but many of these fighters turned out not to be new. They have been flown for decades.
An American official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the pilots underwent accelerated "non-standard" training. This turned out to be insufficient for fully operating the Fighting Falcon.
CNN reported that the F-16 crashed as a result of air combat. At the same time, some sources claimed that the fighter was not shot down, but crashed due to pilot error.
Read more on the topic:
"Su-25 behaves aggressively in combat": Russian pilot explains why F-16 does not pose a threat
Surprise for the F-16: Russia has created a missile to combat Western fighters