# F16 pilot in training lies about a shooting down (simulated) another jet, supplies fake video

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f16-pilot-in-training-lies-about-a-shooting-down-simulated-another-jet-supplies-fake-video/767864>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 7, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f16-pilot-in-training-lies-about-a-shooting-down-simulated-another-jet-supplies-fake-video/767864 "2016-10-07T16:28:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f16-pilot-in-training-lies-about-a-shooting-down-simulated-another-jet-supplies-fake-video/767864/1 "2016-10-07T16:28:32Z")

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In the fabled Israeli Air Force no less: [Israeli fighter pilot demoted for lying about training results | The Times of Israel](http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-fighter-pilot-demoted-for-lying-about-training-results/)

We’ll never know how the hell he thought he ould get away with it, but perhaps someone could tell me how the scene works in the first place, i.e., how military jets train and kills are recorded.

Presumably more than “I did it” and clips from the Israeli version of Top Gun.

Backstory: My first thoughts, in order: wow; what a dick; what idiotic chutzpah–perhaps fueled by some crazy desperation to show results for promotion (which is an interesting thread/drift/permissible hijacking itself) combined with being a dick; this OP.

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f16-pilot-in-training-lies-about-a-shooting-down-simulated-another-jet-supplies-fake-video/767864/2 "2016-10-07T16:33:01Z")

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What’s the question?

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f16-pilot-in-training-lies-about-a-shooting-down-simulated-another-jet-supplies-fake-video/767864/3 "2016-10-07T16:36:44Z")

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How is training conducted for a legitimate shoot down to be recorded and verified?

I hit enter by accident before when I was about to add “How?” to the hed, which as we know can’t be changed except by a mod, who I didn’t think it worth bugging.

(Also, it is spelled out clearly in OP but as a declarative request, so my request is only missing the interrogative/waving flag symbol.) /minor snark

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**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f16-pilot-in-training-lies-about-a-shooting-down-simulated-another-jet-supplies-fake-video/767864/4 "2016-10-07T17:28:52Z")

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In my old squadron, when we flew dogfight training missions, all the aircrew involved would meet to debrief the mission. We’d review the HUD video (with audio) to determine kills…you could see the targeting reticle, and hear the missile tone when the pilot called “Fox 1” for a radar missile, “Fox 2” for a heat seeking missile, or “Guns Guns Guns”.

Note that these training missions were considerably less formal than Red Flag–which is the massive exercise mention in the linked article.

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f16-pilot-in-training-lies-about-a-shooting-down-simulated-another-jet-supplies-fake-video/767864/5 "2016-10-07T17:39:17Z")

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The article is poorly written–the faked mission seems to be Israeli internal; the Red Flag business is just filler.

I thought that the same as you.