re: #342 sagehen

They may well have American-trained Saudi pilots in their ranks.

Every helicopter and airplane model is different (and most military helicopters and airplanes have different submodels (e.g., the F-16 has A/B, C/D, and E/F models which are further subdivided into different “blocks”)).

Just because someone might know how to fly a Boeing 747, G-V, Cessna, or a UH-1 Huey, doesn’t mean they can fly a F-16 or a Mi-35 Hind.