MOSCOW, July 15. /TASS/. US-made F-16s are no match for Russian jets in air combat, French aviation expert Cyrille de Lattre told TASS.

"As far as I can judge, in case of an air combat F-16 has no chance against a Russian fighter jet. Much will depend on the pilot, however Ukrainian pilots have no experience in F-16 combat engagement. They had insufficient training to eliminate the drawback," he said.

F-16 is inferior in maneuverability to the latest generation of Russian thrust-vectoring aircraft, he added.

A downed F-16 in Ukraine will have a negative effect on the image of the highly advertised jet. "When the first jet is downed, the United States will conceal it as long as possible therefore," de Lattre said.