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8 August 2024

The Ukraine War Proves Russia’s Air Force Still Packs a Punch

Robert Farley

Russia’s Air Force, also known as the Russian Aerospace Forces, has had a mixed record in Ukraine. Castigated in the early months of the war for failing to achieve air superiority and failing to inflict decisive damage on defending Ukrainian ground forces, Russian air assets contributed mightily to the successful Russian defense against Ukraine’s summer 2023 offensive and have made a major contribution to the success of Russian ground advances over the past several months.

Having avoided the dreadful losses suffered by naval and land units, the Aerospace Forces may well emerge from the war with their reputation and force structure mostly intact.

Ukraine vs. Russia’s Air Force

Russian air forces have not suffered nearly the same level of attrition in the Ukraine War as land or naval forces.

A US estimate of Russian aerial strength as of April 2024 estimated that Russia had lost some 10% of its total aviation strength in the first twenty-six months of the war, amounting to an expensive inconvenience but not an operational crisis. Most of these aircraft have been lost to Ukrainian surface-to-air missile systems, although some have suffered from deep drone and missile strikes against Russian bases.

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