- After five months of fighting, neither Russia nor Ukraine has achieved air superiority in Ukraine.
- The Russian Air Force played a surprisingly limited role and that of Ukraine exceeded expectations.
- These are the jets that both forces use to wage this often intense aerial struggle.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, neither side has achieved complete air superiority, surprising analysts and officials who believed that Russia’s larger air force and technologically superior would overwhelm the Ukrainian forces.
Five months later, the Ukrainian air force and air defenses continue to fight Russian air power, which has played a surprisingly limited role in the overall conflict.
Russia appears to have reduced the scope of its operations in recent months, but in late July observers recorded the loss of 36 Russian and 35 Ukrainian fighter jets.
Total casualties are probably higher, but reported figures still show the intensity of the aerial struggle.
Overlapping inventories
A Russian Air Force MiG-29SMT in 2016.
Daniele Faccioli/Stocktrek Images/Getty Images
Because both countries were part of the Soviet Union and home to a significant portion of the USSR’s defense industrial base, Ukraine and Russia have always had similar military aircraft inventories.
Prior to February 24, the most numerous fighter in Ukraine’s inventory was the MiG-29, which first flew in 1977 and was officially adopted by the Soviets in 1982.
Developed in response to the American F-15 and F-16 fighters, the MiG-29 is designed primarily for air-to-air combat. It has a top speed of around 1,500 mph and a ceiling of just under 60,000 feet. It can carry around 8,000 pounds of ammunition on seven hardpoints and has a 30mm autocannon with 150 rounds.
A Ukrainian Su-24 takes off from Starokostyantyniv Air Base on October 12, 2018.
GENIA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images
The Su-27 was developed in conjunction with the MiG-29 and officially adopted by the Soviets in 1985. It was the first operational Soviet fighter with fly-by-wire flight controls.
The Su-27 is primarily an air superiority fighter, although it can also conduct strikes, and it has a top speed over 1,500 mph and a ceiling over 60,000 feet. In addition to its 30mm autocannon with 150 rounds, it has 10 hardpoints that allow it to carry over 9,700 pounds of ammunition.
Ukraine and Russia are also attacking each other with similar attack aircraft, mainly the Su-24 and Su-25.
Adopted in 1974, the Su-24 is a variable-wing attack aircraft intended for interdiction missions. It has a maximum speed of around 1,000 mph with a ceiling of around 36,000 feet and can carry over 17,000 pounds of ammunition, ranging from missiles to guided bombs, on nine hardpoints. It also carries a six-barreled 23mm rotary cannon with 500 rounds.
Jet plane Sukhoi Su-25.
Photo by Marina Lystseva\TASS via Getty Images
The Su-25 was adopted in 1993. A smaller attack aircraft, it is intended for direct strikes and close air support, and it has a top speed of around 600 mph and a ceiling of 22,000 feet.
In addition to a 30mm twin-barrel cannon with 250 rounds, the Su-25 has 10 hardpoints and can carry over 9,000 pounds of ammunition, including missiles, rockets, guided and unguided bombs, and even additional cannons. It also has steel and titanium plates ranging from 6mm to 25mm thick around the cockpit, parts of the fuselage and wings, and self-sealing fuel tanks.
The armor and armament of the Su-25 make it a fast, low-flying tank – it has been compared to the famous A-10 of the US Air Force.
representation of war
A Russian Su-34 shot down in a residential area of Chernihiv, April 22, 2022.
Nicola Marfisi/AGF/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
On February 24, the Ukrainian inventory of flyable combat aircraft amounted to approximately 37 MiG-29s, 34 Su-27s, 31 Su-25s and 14 Su-24Ms.
Some of the Ukrainian aircraft were active at the start of the war. Its Su-24s and MiG-29s supported operations around Hostomel airport when Russian paratroopers attempted to seize it. Ukrainian Su-27s have also been spotted around kyiv, as have several MiG-29s, likely trying to intercept Russian planes and missiles.
But Russian mobile air defenses and aircraft took their toll. To date, 35 Ukrainian combat aircraft have been identified as destroyed: 11 MiG-29s, 11 Su-24s, four Su-27s, eight Su-25s and one unidentified fighter.
Some losses came from friendly firebecause it is difficult for ground-based anti-aircraft systems to distinguish friendly jet aircraft from Russian aircraft.
Ukrainian warplanes over Donetsk Oblast on July 16, 2022.
Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Despite the losses, Ukraine may have more aircraft operational now than it had at the start of the war, as spare parts donated by the NATO military allowed it to refurbish airframes which were stored.
Ukrainian fighters and attack aircraft are always active on the front line. Ukraine claimed that one of its MiGs shot down a Russian Su-35 on May 27, while Ukrainian Su-24s and Su-24s Su-25 were spotted near combat zones. Ukrainian Su-27s were seen bombing raid Snake Island and may have been involved in strikes against Russian oil installations near Crimea.
Russia has increased its air operations since the beginning of the war. His jets are usually seen operating in pairs and sometimes in teams of four.
The Russian Su-25s are the most frequently spotted, probably because they provide close air support. Because they have to fly so low, they are often engaged by Ukrainian air defenses, especially shoulder-fired missiles. To date, 16 Russian Su-25s have been shot down and more have been damaged.
Single plane
A Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet.
REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhine
Russia has taken steps to modernize its air force in recent years, which differentiates its fleet from the Ukrainian Air Force. The most recent Russian combat aircraft seen in Ukraine are the Su-30, Su-35 and Su-34, all of which were developed from the Su-27 chassis.
The Su-30 was adopted in 1996 and the Su-35 in 2014. Both are classified as air superiority fighters but can perform other roles. They also feature thrust vector control, giving them aerobatic abilities that are a great asset in dogfighting.
The Su-30 has a top speed of 1,300 mph and a service ceiling of 55,000 feet. In addition to a 30mm autocannon with 150 rounds, it has 12 hardpoints that can carry 18,000 pounds of ammunition. The Su-35 is similarly armed and can reach speeds of 1,500 mph and a ceiling of 59,000 feet.
Also adopted in 2014, the Su-34 is a fighter-bomber intended to replace the aging Su-24. With a top speed of around 1,100 mph and a ceiling of around 50,000 feet, it can carry 20,000 pounds of ammunition on 12 hardpoints and has a single 30mm autocannon with 180 rounds.
Still from undated video of a Ukrainian soldier dismantling a Russian Orlan drone.
Ukrainian Ministry of Defense
So far, four Su-30s have been shot down, with at least one other destroyed on the ground. A Su-35 armed with anti-radiation missiles – suggesting it was hunting Ukrainian air defenses – was also shot down. Eleven Su-34s were also confirmed to have been shot down. Three other planes destroyed are not identified.
Russian officials and state media have also said that the Su-57, Russia’s fifth-generation stealth fighter, has been used in Ukraine, including to take out Ukrainian air defenses, but observers doubt the Su-57 is widely used during the war.
As in other recent conflicts, aerial drones have played a prominent role in Ukraine. Observers have identified 50 Russian and 23 Ukrainian drones shot down in the fighting so far.
The most common Russian drone is the Orlan-10, a small propeller-driven reconnaissance aircraft used for point targets, direct artillery fire, and even drop small ammunition. Russia also operates the Kronshtadt Orion, a larger reconnaissance drone also used to strike Ukrainian targets.
Ukraine used the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 to strike Russia targets and monitor Russian operations. The Ukrainians and their international supporters have funded the purchase of additional drones, although their effectiveness may decline as Russian forces improve their defenses.