Ukraine Air Force - Combat 2022
On 22 February 2022, the Air Force was the first to accept combat. The enemy tried to destroy the entire air defense system of the country - to "blind" our "eyes", destroy our anti-aircraft shield, sought to gain dominance in the Ukrainian sky so that planes could bomb our cities and infrastructure with impunity. Therefore, the first targets of the occupiers were radar units, anti-aircraft missile forces, military airfields, and command posts.
The Air Force withstood the first most powerful blows of the enemy. Dozens of Air Force soldiers received the highest title of Hero of Ukraine. Hundreds have been awarded high state awards. Unfortunately, many of them died protecting Ukrainian skies.
Russian aviation and precision weapons sought to destroy Ukraine's main military infrastructure. The Russian Aerospace Forces gained local air superiority, and the Navy took control of the Azov Sea and most of the Black Sea. The Ukrainian air defense system for a time ceased to exist as a single whole, and the surviving aircraft were relocated to backup airfields.
Ukraine's ability to keep flying air force jets after Russia's February 2022 attack was a visible demonstration of the country's resilience in the face of attack and has been a morale booster, both to its own military and Ukraine's people. It has also led to mythologising of the Ukrainian air force, including a tale about a Ukrainian jet fighter that purportedly single-handedly downed six Russian aircrafts, dubbed online as "The Ghost of Kyiv."
It is a story that gives courage and hope to the people of Ukraine in these dark days: The military has put up a fierce fight against the Russian invasion, and one very exceptional fighter pilot has become a folk hero. Known only as the "Ghost of Kyiv," he is said to have single-handedly brought down six Russian planes since the invasion began. The story has mostly spread via social media, with videos and photos that appear to show the pilot in action posted by Kyiv residents, former President Petro Poroshenko and the Defense Ministry. Some of the photos are clearly not genuine. The existence of a Ukrainian fighter pilot who shot down six Russian planes cannot be confirmed.
The Air Force was the first to take the fight at 4 am. The first targets of the occupiers were radar units, anti-aircraft missile forces, military airfields, and command posts. On the very first day of the invasion, a huge number of enemy aircraft crossed the air border of Ukraine. The Air Force prepared for such a scenario, so they successfully removed equipment and people from the attack.
On the first day of the full-scale invasion, February 24, 2022, Russia's main goal was to destroy Ukrainian aviation. Literally from under the missile strikes, our aviators evacuated planes and helicopters. Explosions were heard at airfields, Russian missiles cut through Ukrainian airspace. But the Air Force managed not only to save Ukraine's aviation: pilots showed that they courageously defended their state.
On the first day, Ukrainian Su-27 pilots destroyed two state-of-the-art Russian Su-30SM in dogfights. On the critical route near Gostomel, Su-24M bombers, Su-24MR scouts, and Su-25 attack aircraft regularly launched powerful rocket-bomb attacks against the Russian landing force, which was trying to hold the strategic bridgehead.
After March 10, 2022, the Russian aviation was forced to reduce the intensity of attacks on the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine, because at that moment the Armed Forces had a sufficiently high density of MANPADS received from partners from the West. At that time, it was possible to restore the integrity of Ukrainian air defense coverage to a significant extent, it was possible to disperse anti-aircraft weapons so that they more reliably covered infrastructure objects and had less risk of falling under the fire of the Russians. Therefore, according to the results of March 2022, the percentage of downing of cruise missiles of the Russian Federation was kept at the level of 20-30%.
Ukraine's air and air defence forces had been almost completely destroyed, and the country's navy has in effect ceased to exist, according to the chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff, Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy. "At present, the Ukrainian Air Force and the system of air defences have been almost completely destroyed," the officer said 25 March 2022.
Since October 2022, the Air Force began to receive NASAMS , IRIS-T , Crotale anti-aircraft missile systems, Gepard , "Patriot" and SAMP-T/MAMBA anti-aircraft missile systems from partners.
On 06 August 2023, the first Sunday of the last month of summer, Ukraine celebrated the Day of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. As of August 5, 2023, since the beginning of the war, 315 enemy aircraft, 311 helicopters, 4,116 operational-tactical UAVs, and 1,347 cruise missiles have been destroyed in the sky over Ukraine.
Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk also congratulated the soldiers on their professional holiday. In his video, he thanked each soldier for their courage in the war. Oleschuk noted that during the war, the Air Force destroyed more than 3,500 enemy aerial targets: 350 airplanes and helicopters, 1,200 cruise and 24 ballistic missiles, more than 2,000 drones and 13 Daggers. Ukrainian pilots made more than 14,000 sorties, destroying the occupiers both in the sky and on the ground.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, congratulated the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He said that the country is proud of them. "There have already been more than 14,000 sorties of our aviation during the war. Everyone is heroism. Everyone is a result for Ukraine. Everyone is the approach of our victory. I thank all the soldiers of the Ukrainian Air Force - all the soldiers-aviators, our anti-aircraft guns, specialists of the radio engineering troops! Kudos to you! Glory to Ukraine!" , - said Zelensky.
At the time of gaining independence, Ukraine received about 240 MiG-29 aircraft . Approximately 40 of them belonged to the "9-12" variant, the rest to the "9-13" and MiG-29UB ("9-51"). At the time of gaining independence, Ukraine received about 240 MiG-29 aircraft . Approximately 40 of them belonged to the "9-12" variant, the rest to the "9-13" and MiG-29UB ("9-51"). At the beginning of the 2000s, Ukraine began to develop several options for the modernization of the MiG-29. As of the beginning of 2014, the Air Force of Ukraine had about 150 MiG-29s, but the percentage of serviceable aircraft was much lower. In 2016, the Ukrainian Air Force had approximately 40 combat-ready MiG-29s.
The number of remaining Su-25s in Ukraine seen in combat by September 2023 amounted to 11 combat Su-25s, including vehicles handed over by the Macedonians (50 and 51 blue). The ARZ in Zaporozhye, which is capable of overhauling the Su-25, continues to function, so this quantity may increase. Ukraine had plenty of pilots for this fairly simple type of aircraft. Theoretically, there is an opportunity to receive new aircraft in Georgia and Bulgaria - 7 and 17 aircraft respectively, along with 2-3 on the black market in Africa. Political work had probably been intensified with Iraq, which has 20-30 Su-25s. And it would not be surprised to see Uzbek and Kazakh Su-25s at the front.
According to Oryx, a total of at least 305 Ukrainian aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had been destroyed, damaged and captured as of 20 September 2023, of which about 200 were Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The actual total number of destroyed and damaged aircraft is likely significantly higher than recorded. The total does not include loitering munitions as drones used as unmanned bait.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed 12 Ukrainian aircraft over the week, 7 of them over the past 24 hours. This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense 20 October 2023. “As a result of the effective actions of fighter aircraft and air defense units, 12 aircraft were destroyed over the past week, of which 10 Mig-29 [fighters] and 2 Su-25 attack aircraft, as well as 2 Mi-8 helicopters of the Ukrainian Air Force,” the statement said. The Ministry of Defense added that in the last 24 hours alone, seven Ukrainian Mig-29 aircraft were shot down by Russian air defense systems. Since the beginning of the special military operation (SVO), the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have destroyed 500 Ukrainian aircraft, as well as more than 250 helicopters. This is roughly twice as many fixed wing aircraft and about two and a half times as many helicopters as Ukraine had on hand at the outset of the war.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced 24 October 2023 defeat of 24 enemy aircraft in 5 days. It is reported that this became possible thanks to the new complexes received by the troops. In particular, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, in the last 24 hours alone, two Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft were shot down (over the DPR and Kirovograd region) and one combat training L-39, which crashed near the village. Olenovka (Dnipropetrovsk region).
BulgarianMilitary.com reports that Ukraine faced severe setbacks on 16 September 2024, suffering the loss of two Su-27 fighters and one MiG-29, according to reports. A press release from the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed these incidents, stating that they occurred during aerial combat and were compounded by air defense systems from late September 14 through September 15. The loss of Su-27s is particularly challenging for Ukraine. These fighters provide irreplaceable air defense and interception capabilities, even when compared to modern Western jets like the F-16.
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