Miloch wrote in
:

In article , Mitchell
Holman says...

Miloch wrote in
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https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...-16-aggressor-
em erges-in-russian-su-57-like-ghost-paint-scheme

The much anticipated "ghost" scheme F-16C belonging to the 64th
Aggressor Squadron based at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas has emerged from
the paint barn. The paint job came to be via a crowdsourced
competition on 57th Wing Commander Brigadier General Robert
Novotny's Facebook page, with followers submitting different design
ideas and voting on each one in a number of rounds, ending with this
scheme being chosen. You can read all about how this competition
came to be, the value of ornate aggressor paint jobs, and so much
more in our interview with General Novotny.

Novotny posted a video on Facebook of the jet being painted and the
final result of everyone's engagement. If it doesn't pop up below
automatically, you can find it here.

https://www.facebook.com/NellisAFB/v...2930770318447/

The striking motif is similar to ones worn by some of Russia's
small, but supposedly set to grow fleet of Su-57 next-generation
fighters.

The new paint job appears to have four separate contrasting tones.
The top features a digitized aqua colored pattern with a baby blue
base, while the bottom is off-white with what appears to be a darker
blue pattern overlaid. Of all the creative USAF aggressor paint jobs
flying, it certainly seems to be one of the showiest.

As a side note, it appears that the Navy actually beat the USAF to
the punch when it comes to fielding the first ghost-like scheme on a
U.S. aggressor jet. Photos popped up earlier in the week showing a
legacy F/A-18 Hornet belonging to VFC-12 sporting a very similar
motif. Did the Navy actively attempt preempt the USAF's high-profile
reveal? That isn't clear at this time, but other schemes have first
appeared on VFC-12 jets just to show up on 64th AGRS jets not long
after. Then again, these schemes are largely driven by enemy threats
that exist in the real world, so coincidences are bound to happen.

Regardless of the possibility of a little good-natured competition
between the services when it comes adversary paint jobs, it will be
interesting to see the 'ghost' F-16 in the air with its new bad guy
duds. If the scheme is well received, we will probably see it on
other 64th AGRS jets, and who knows, maybe even aggressor F-35s, in
the not too distant future.

Above all else, the new aggressor paint design stands a testament to
how military commanders can have a meaningful, creative, and fun
interaction with civilians on social media that actually results in
something tangible that people can appreciate being part of.



Looks a lot like the "dazzle" paint schemes
put on allied ships in WWII......


Dazzle was meant to confuse the enemy using binoculars scanning the
horizon for ships size/direction...it was of questionable value &
rendered obsolete with the introduction of radar...but ya...I
agree...looks like it.

Frankly I like it for esthetic reasons...not sure how effective it is
considering it requires you get close enough for visuals...but
hey!...you know...Russia!...and Vladimir prolly thinks it's sexy and
likes it.



If you are going to paint up an F-16 right, well......

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