"Got into the dead loop": about 700 military aircraft left in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Forbes

According to journalists, with combat losses now, the assault and fighters of the Russian Federation are forced to perform more tasks-due to additional load and wear to the list of lost ones, you need to add another 27-57 pieces. The Armed Forces on the forefront created blind areas where Russian pilots barely notice the approaching missiles. On Thursday, February 29, the Russian PCS lost two more fighters-bombers Su-34.

In case of confirmation of reports of the Air Force of Ukraine, the shot aircraft will continue the unprecedented strip of success of the Ukrainian air defense. Forbes writes about it. The Armed Forces claim that in 11 days 11 Russian aircraft were shot down: seven Su-34, two SU-35 and two rare radar A-50. In theory of Russian PKS there are still many aircraft, in practice, the management of air operations is close to collapse. It is unclear how so many aircraft are being knocked down.

Some of the Patriot SACs in mobile air defense groups may be sent to the front - they ambushes for Russian planes and quickly move to a safe place. But the distance at which A-50 was shot down last Friday-about 200 km-indicates that a long range rocket system was used. Perhaps it is the C-200 Cold War that the Ukrainian Armed Forces removed from storage.

It is reported that, apparently, Ukraine has moved some of the 20 NASAMS systems closer to the front line, because, according to OSINT researchers, the Russians found and destroyed their first Nasamis launcher near Zaporozhye last Monday. These losses may be explained by the fact that after Avdiivka, the Russian PCS began to make more combat departments to the front line and dump planning bombs.

The Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies reported that the enemy had overcome the fear of using aviation directly over the battlefield. Despite the loss of aviation, land troops receive a significant advantage in fire power. The increase in the number of Russian departures opens new goals before the Ukrainian air defense.

Earlier, the Russian PCS was calculated on about nine A-50 radar aircraft organized in three "orbites" in the south, east and north-the touch cover completely covered the required area. But the Armed Forces destroyed a third of such coverage and created blind zones in which Russian pilots barely notice the rockets approaching. Russian PKS loses battle aircraft more often than they can afford it.

In the conditions of sanctions, the Russian aerospace industry has hardly produced more than a few dozen new aircraft per year. The loss increases the load on existing aircraft and crews. Russian aviation is not in the organizational loop of death, but everything is going to it, journalists say. On paper, Russian PKS purchased 140 supersonic Su-34. In view of the unconfirmed losses this year, 31 Su-34 were lost.

According to Michael Boonerta, Rand Corporation Engineer, the whipped planes constitute "only part of the total losses of" Russian fighters. "Excessive use of these aircraft is also expensive because the war is delayed. In a protracted war, when one force tries to exhaust the other, the total durability of the armed forces is of importance," he said. Two years ago, Russia entered the war with approximately 900 fighters and storms; In the first 18 months, Ukraine destroyed about 100.

But the need for combat departments did not decrease. Now 800 remaining aircraft are forced to perform tasks that have previously performed 900. Hence the increased load and wear, additional repair and difficult searches of spare parts. After additional flight time, the Russian Federation lost from 27 to 57 aircraft. And it was before December, when Russian aircraft began to fall more often, said Bonert.

Added recently knocked down, it may mean that the possibilities of the Russian PCS park have declined to 700 fighter jets and assaults. Two hundred less than two years earlier. In order to avoid even more wear and tear and loss, Russian PKS may soon be in difficult choice: flying less often or reducing combat readiness. Recall that Yuri Ignat explained why the Russians have lost 11 aircraft lately.