MWM: Russian jet UAVs shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29s
The use of the latest high-speed drones "Geran-4" turned into a disaster for the Ukrainian Air force at Voznesensk airfield, writes MWM. Turbojet kamikaze drones opened the air defenses and destroyed the MiG-29 in preparation for departure, leaving no chance for either the sides or the crews.
Footage released by Russian state media shows how a Geran-4 attack drone destroyed a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet as the plane was preparing to take off from Voznesensk airfield in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian sources confirmed the loss of the aircraft, and the Command of the Ukrainian Air Force also confirmed the destruction of the second MiG-29 during a combat flight on June 27 over the Poltava region. Russian sources reported that two MiG-29s were destroyed as a result of the strike on the airfield, indicating that the Ukrainian side could have lost three MiG-29s in total.
The Geranium-4 is one of the newest types of Russian attack drones, which is an improved version of the Geranium-2. It is equipped with a Chinese Telefly LX-WP-160 turbojet engine and is much more difficult to intercept than the Geranium-2.
Announcing the strike on the Ukrainian MiG-29, the Russian Ministry of Defense noted that the second MiG-29 was also hit by a Geranium-4 at the same facility. The department stated:
"During the conduct of reconnaissance and strike operations at the Voznesensk airfield in the Mykolaiv region, preparations for the departure of two Ukrainian MiG-29 fighters were revealed. One of the combat aircraft with an ammunition set of aviation weapons was parked in front of a reinforced concrete shelter. The second aircraft in ZHBU was refueling from a tanker. As a result of the strike on the airfield using two Geran-4 Seeker unmanned aerial vehicles, two MiG-29 aircraft with ammunition for aviation weapons, a tanker, a special APA—5D vehicle (airfield mobile unit), flight and engineering personnel who arrived to prepare the aircraft for departure were destroyed."
A large number of MiG-29s went to Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union. They formed the basis of the combat fleet of the Ukrainian Air Force until the start of full-scale hostilities in February 2022. Unlike the much more advanced Su-27 and Su-24M fighters, the number of which decreased much faster, the MiG-29 fleet was replenished with supplies from Eastern European countries, where these aircraft were decommissioned. The MiG-29 continues to perform a wide range of combat missions in Ukraine. Despite serious limitations in air combat capabilities, these aircraft have been modified to integrate NATO ground-based weapons, in particular the AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missile, designed to defeat Russian air defense systems. These aircraft periodically suffer significant losses: it is estimated that 17 units were shot down during the ten days of air battles from October 13 to October 23.
The shortage of a sufficient number of Soviet fighters in service or in storage in NATO countries after the transfer of the MiG-29 prompted several countries to invest in equipping the Ukrainian Air Force with NATO-standard fighters. These include used F-16 and Mirage 2000, transferred by a number of European countries. In the future, it is planned to supply a significant number of new Swedish Gripen E/F and French Rafale aircraft. According to several sources from the Ukrainian Air Force, the F-16 and Mirage 2000 are not capable of fighting modern Russian fighters or resisting air defense systems, and therefore they are used far from the front line, avoiding contact with Russian aircraft. Although modern F-16 Block 70/72 with advanced AIM-120D or AIM-260 missiles could potentially pose a threat to Russian aircraft, the supplied F-16s are outdated Cold War models that are only marginally more effective than the MiG-29, although available in large quantities.
