(Dan Tri) – Kiev continuously claims to have shot down a series of Su-34 fighters. Is it because Ukraine’s air defense capabilities have been upgraded or what is happening with the Russian Air Force?
Russian Su-34 fighter was shot down by Ukraine (Illustration: Military Watch).
Ukraine’s statement about shooting down a Russian fighter jet
In the skies over Ukraine, an invisible battle is taking place.
Recently, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced that it had shot down 13 Russian aircraft in just 13 days, including 10 Su-34 `Platypus` fighter-bombers, putting great pressure on the Russian Air Force.
This news not only reveals the fierceness on the battlefield, but also reflects the importance of air power in modern warfare.
Ukrainian air defense has fulfilled its role quite well and shot down many Russian warplanes, especially in the early stages of the conflict and recently.
According to Newsweek, becoming a Russian Air Force fighter pilot seems to have become the `most dangerous job in the world`, enough to show the dilemma they are facing.
In these battles, the `platypus` became Ukraine’s main target.
More importantly, along with the lost aircraft, the number of Russian fighter pilots will also be in short supply, and combined with the requirement for large sorties, the actual number of Su-34s capable of performing the mission may be limited.
Russian Air Force Su-34 bomber (Photo: Sputnik).
The reality of the Ukrainian battlefield in recent days
The Su-34 bomber plays an important role in carrying out the mission of attacking ground targets with guided glide bombs, posing a serious threat to the Ukrainian defense system.
But surprisingly, when Ukraine announced that more and more Su-34s were shot down, the frequency of using Russian air force increased?
According to some Ukrainian estimates, in one day, the Russian Air Force can drop up to 150 bombs of all sizes.
Some Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the battlefield – when interviewed by the American news agency CNN – said that guided glide bombs were dropped accurately and when these glide bombs flew, they had little chance of living.
Independent analysts say that with such powerful aerial fire support, the Russian army captured the enemy position with minimal losses.
According to Ukraine, with such a high frequency of fighter-bombers being shot down, Russia’s ability to attack on the battlefield will certainly be severely affected, not only weakening its advantage but also
Patriot air defense missile complex made by the US (Illustration: Rubryka).
Ukraine’s air defense `transforms`, challenging the Russian Air Force
If Ukraine really succeeds in shooting down the Russian plane as they claim, it will reflect a significant improvement in the country’s air defense capabilities.
According to Kiev’s statement, since October 2022, the Ukrainian air defense force has achieved good results.
Thus, Russia may need to reevaluate its air combat strategy in the face of Ukraine’s growing air defense capabilities.
Also logically, if a Russian plane is shot down, in addition to losing the plane, Russia will also have to face the problem of heavy losses of pilots.
As analyzed above, this is a heavy blow to the Russian Air Force.
To compensate for the loss of pilots, Russia can increase pilot training and send new pilots to the battlefield as soon as possible.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian battlefield is complex and volatile, and new pilots may face greater risks.
In the near future, the fierce duel in the air may continue to escalate fiercely.
In addition, the situation on the ground battlefield can also have an important impact on the sky, making the Russia-Ukraine conflict more complex, changeable and difficult to predict.
It can be affirmed that in this air war, whoever can ultimately control the air will have a profound impact on the entire war situation.
Therefore, both sides will make efforts to strengthen the building of air power to gain greater advantages on the battlefield.
Hannah 
Eliana 
Martin