Ukraine counterattacked, claiming to have downed 3 Russian Su-34 fighter bombers in one day 0
(Dan Tri) – The Ukrainian Air Force announced that 3 Russian Su-34 attack aircraft were shot down on February 29.
A Russian Su-34 bomber (Photo: Tass).
`Two more enemy Su-34s were destroyed on the Avdiivka and Mariupol fronts today, at about 9:00 a.m.! We are acting to win together!`, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander
Earlier, on the same morning, the Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force reported that the country’s defense forces shot down a Russian Su-34 fighter bomber on the eastern front.
As of February 29, the Ukrainian Defense Forces announced that they had shot down 13 Russian aircraft since the beginning of February.
Information about the loss of 13 Russian aircraft, including 10 Su-34s, 2 Su-35s and 1 A-50, marked a tense period in the conflict and was Ukraine’s biggest result since
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia lost a series of Su-34 aircraft in just February. Each aircraft is estimated to be worth about 36 million USD.
Two Russian A-50 aircraft were also claimed to have been shot down by Ukrainian forces in January and February, each worth about $330 million.
The Ukrainian Air Force announced on February 28 that in 10 days, it had shot down 10 Russian military aircraft: nine advanced fighter-bombers including the Su-34 and Su-35 – as well as one
Russia has not commented on Ukraine’s statements, however, according to Forbes, if the information provided by Kiev is accurate, this is a significant loss for Moscow.
Forbes said that if Ukraine really brought down advanced Russian aircraft, they could have used Western-aided interceptor missiles such as Patriot and NASAMS.
According to Forbes estimates, Russia may be losing aircraft at a rate `20 times faster than it is producing replacements.`
Military expert David Ax said that Ukraine may be deploying fast-moving Patriot complexes along the front line, lying still waiting for Russian aircraft to come into range, then using PAC-2 missiles with an attack range of 145km.
In the case of Ukraine claiming to have shot down a rare Russian A-50 aircraft, Mr. Ax said that Kiev may have used S-200 air defense missiles with a range of 200km to attack.
In addition, according to Mr. Ax, Ukraine also seems to have brought several batteries of Western-funded NASAMS surface-to-air missiles with a range of 40km closer to the front line.
Forbes believes that, with the efficiency of shooting 10 aircraft in 10 days, Ukraine may have mobilized both Patriot and NASAMS to the front line to create a fire net to threaten Russian aircraft.
However, this tactic carries the risk that Ukraine may soon run out of air defense missiles for Western-made systems.
In addition, Forbes said that Russia may have stepped up Air Force operations near the front lines to cover ground forces that have gained momentum in recent times.
