(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — The Russian military’s air defense system has reportedly brought down seven Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jets within the past 24 hours.
If the statement made by the Russian Ministry of Defense is proven to be true, it is “extremely bad news” for the Ukrainian military, given their limited number of fighter aircraft.
Ukraine is currently awaiting the “donation” of used F-16 fighter jets from several European countries to address Russia’s control of the airspace.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, as quoted by their state news agency, RIA Novosti, “In just 24 hours, a total of seven Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jets were shot down by the Russian air defense system.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense did not provide further details on these claims, but defense observers suggest that the Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft likely fell victim to “ambushes” by the Russian air defense system.
They speculate that the MiG-29 pilots may not have been aware of the Russian air defense system’s ambushes, as they might not have expected the presence of the system in their operational area.
According to these observers, Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter aircraft often flew at low altitudes to avoid detection by the Russian air defense radar and only briefly climbed higher to release their bombs.
It was during these brief ascents that the Russian air defense radar detected the Ukrainian fighter jets and gave the Russian forces the opportunity to attempt to shoot them down.
MiG-29 fighter aircraft are among the mainstay of the Ukrainian Air Force, along with Su-24, Su-27, and Su-27 aircraft.
The Ukrainian Air Force used its MiG-29 aircraft to launch High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM AGM-88), supplied by the United States, to destroy enemy radar centers and air defense systems.
The HARM, developed by the U.S. defense company RTX (formerly known as Raytheon), is a tactical air-to-ground missile designed to target any electronic emissions from enemy air defense systems.
The Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft have been modified to enable them to launch American-made guided missiles.
At the beginning of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia last February, Ukraine was said to possess 50 MiG-29 fighter jets, with some additional aircraft released from storage.
Several European countries that still operate MiG-29s, such as Poland and Slovakia, have donated dozens of these Russian-made fighter jets to Ukraine for use by its air force in the fight against Russia.
According to the arms monitoring organization Oryx, since the start of the conflict with Russia, the Ukrainian Air Force has reportedly lost a total of 22 MiG-29 fighter jets. — DSA
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