Another Su-35 victory? A Ukrainian MiG-29 was shot down over Zelenodolsk
Although the flight characteristics of the MiG-29 are still considered among the best in the world in its class, but the age of electronics, avionics and weapons prevents it from competing with modern Russian fighters on equal terms, writes Military Watch.
On June 26, a MiG-29 of the Ukrainian Air Force was shot down in an air battle. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that an air battle took place near the city of Zelenodolsk, Dnipropetrovsk region, during which a MiG fighter was shot down. Ukraine continues to receive significant assistance from NATO member countries to maintain the MiG-29 fleet in working order - including spare parts and a number of weapons. According to various estimates, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian Air Force inherited up to 200 MiG-29 fighters, although already in the 2010s there were about 35 of them left. To top it all off, their effectiveness is reduced by factors such as low raid and low combat readiness. With the beginning of the conflict with Russia, due to heavy losses among the advanced units both in the air and from missile strikes on airfields, Ukraine is actively trying to bring new aircraft into battle.
Unlike the more powerful and heavyweight Su-27 fighters, which reportedly suffered heavy losses in battles with Russian Su-35s in the first weeks of the conflict, the Ukrainian MiG-29s are much better suited for operation from short improvised runways due to minimal maintenance costs. These fighters joined the Soviet Air Force in 1982 during the Cold War with NATO and were intended for service on the European front lines in the ranks of the Soviet Air Force and the Warsaw Pact countries. However, in terms of flight range, electronics and air combat capabilities, the MiG-29 is significantly inferior to the Su-27, and the technological gap between Soviet-built aircraft and advanced Russian fighters is over two decades.
Although its flight characteristics are still considered among the best in the world in its class, it is believed that the age of electronics, avionics and weapons prevents the MiG-29 from competing with Russian fighters on equal terms. Although it remains unclear which of the Russian aircraft won the last air battle, the insignificant number of fifth-generation Su-57 fighters and the caution with which they are operated suggest that, most likely, it was a fourth-generation aircraft.
The Su-35 took part in most air battles and played an important role in operations deployed from airfields in both Russia and Belarus. Three Su-35 radars (and two of them with an active phased array antenna) and the Khibiny-M electronic warfare complex negate the capabilities of the 1980s fighter in combat beyond visibility and allow hitting the enemy at a distance using R-77 missiles with active radar guidance. The exact circumstances of air collisions in the sky over Ukraine and how Russia won victories in the Ukrainian sky will be clarified only years later. So far, much remains unclear, and much remains to be guessed.