Ukrainian air defense has become an important factor in the stability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the Russian attack. Thanks to a Soviet-era stockpile, as well as large supplies from Western countries, the Ukrainian Air Force was able to largely counter the air superiority of the Russian Air Force. “And” – according to social media sources – “anti-aircraft gunners proved to be much more effective than pilots”. After running out of Soviet-era equipment, Ukraine began using Western equipment.
During the second defensive operation, the Ukrainian Air Force focused its main efforts on protecting groups of troops and strategic targets from air attacks and was already experiencing an acute need to replenish the air fleet, which after the first months had significantly decreased and numbered up to 50 combat-ready aircraft (the number continued to decrease due to damage or technical malfunctions) and ground-based air defense assets, including anti-aircraft missiles.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces enjoyed a significant advantage: base operations, maneuvers and combat employment were carried out mainly on the territory controlled by its own forces, and the main task of Ukrainian pilots was to lure Russian aircraft and helicopters to the areas where Ukrainian air defense operated.
Compared to other air targets, the Armed Forces of Ukraine had such a large number of air defense systems of various classes and variants that, even taking into account their different combat readiness, wear and tear problems and equipment failures, missile storage periods, personnel training level, etc., their suppression, and even more so their complete destruction, became a difficult task for the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Moreover, just a few months before the start of the Russian invasion, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine conducted exercises to repel a massive cruise missile attack, demonstrating that the planned equipment of forces and means of the Russian strike group, even with a weak counterattack at the initial stage of the air battle, would not be able to ensure the destruction of air defense forces and combat aircraft at airfields, or to inflict unacceptable damage to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and critical infrastructure, especially if camouflage, decoys and maneuvers were used.
Graziella Giangiulio
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