American fifth-generation fighters are no longer in the Middle East. This was stated by the head of the US Air Force Central Command, Lieutenant General Alex Grynkewich.
What is known
In recent weeks, Russian planes have stopped provoking U.S. pilots and drones in the skies over Syria, although their behavior was still characterized as unprofessional. However, the US Air Force has decided to return the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters home.
The planes arrived in the region at the end of July this year in response to Iran’s aggressive actions in the Strait of Hormuz, which is a strategic point between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. A fifth of the world’s oil flows pass through it. Later, Russian planes shot down two MQ-9 Reaper drones and provoked American pilots.
Following the F-35 Lightning II, the USS Bataan, an amphibious assault ship carrying Harrier aircraft, returned to the United States. At the same time, the fourth-generation F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-10 Thunderbolt II, better known as the Warthog, remain in the region.
