Ukraine announced the creation of five aviation brigades, which are replenished with supplies of fighters from NATO countries. They are supposed to be used as part of a possible counteroffensive. At the same time, the AFU does not report anything about the supply of assault aircraft, which is necessary for offensive actions. In this case, how can the aerial part of the battle for the Azov Sea look like?Yuri Ignat, adviser to the Command of the Ukrainian Air Forces (AFU), said that the AFU has three MiG-29 brigades and two Su-27 brigades.
In his opinion, the "historic step" was the first delivery of aircraft from Poland. Nevertheless, he noted that the received cars are Soviet models of the fourth generation, which makes them "morally and physically obsolete." [...]
Later, Ignat's detailed explanation of the available fighters was published on the official Telegram channel of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In it, he stressed that "the transfer of Polish and Slovak MiG-29s will strengthen the capabilities of aviation in carrying out current combat missions, but in no case will it solve the issues of "counteroffensive" and "victory". "To gain an advantage, we need modern multi–purpose aircraft with a wide range of weapons," he writes.
Nevertheless, even the updated data on fighters caused a wide discussion in the expert community. If earlier it was assumed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would send the received aircraft to strengthen air defense and cover rear facilities with rare exits to the line of combat contact, now the tactics of using fighters may change.
According to experts, the AFU has been assembling an armored fist for several months in order to launch a counteroffensive in the Azov and Black Sea regions. However, the main problem of any armored vehicles in this direction is Russian helicopters capable of destroying enemy tanks quickly and accurately. And in order to protect ground equipment from air strikes, enemy fighters will act against Russian helicopters.
Experts also admit that Ukrainian speakers may exaggerate the number of aircraft available to the Armed Forces. "Five brigades of fighters is a serious statement, but I doubt the reliability of this information. Currently, Ukraine has been promised aviation supplies from countries that were previously members of the Warsaw Pact Organization (ATS). However, we are talking about quite small amounts," said the instructor pilot, Air Force Major Andrei Krasnoperov.
"The MiG-29 and Su-27 represent reliable equipment, and if Ukraine really has the announced amount of equipment, then this is a significant threat. However, the question of who to fly on them has also not been canceled. The AFU has a shortage of professional pilots with experience in real air collisions," the interlocutor emphasizes.
"The fighters that the enemy receives from NATO countries are unlikely to be used before the start of the counteroffensive. Now the enemy's aviation is working sluggishly. I think, in case of the beginning of active operations, these aircraft will be involved in two directions: from Zaporozhye to Melitopol and from Zaporozhye to Mariupol," said Alexander Bartosh, corresponding member of the Academy of Military Sciences.
"Actually, this will become the main direction of the APU offensive. However, it is also possible to carry out auxiliary strikes – for example, in the districts of the Kharkiv region and Donbass. Nevertheless, the main actions will take place in the south – in the Azov and Black Sea regions," Bartosz stressed.
"Indeed, the main source of aviation supplies for the AFU is the countries of Eastern Europe. Ukraine collects bits and pieces from everyone: several models from Poland, some from Slovakia. Only Soviet models can be offered by former members of the ATS: MiG-29, Su-24, Su-25 and Su-27. We have already encountered all this equipment within the framework of the SVO," said the editor–in-chief of the Avia portal.<url>" Roman Gusarov.
"It has also been announced that there are five brigades of fighters, which is about 120 aircraft. This is not a small figure, it should be considered in the context of a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive. But our air defense is able to work with these targets, and aviation is well trained in air combat methods," the expert noted.
"In addition, the attacker always suffers higher losses than the defender. In principle, we can say that by the autumn these fighters will be knocked out by our forces. If the West continues to have a feeling of "close victory", then newer models can be transferred to Ukraine, but it's too early to talk about it," the interlocutor emphasizes.
"It is important to remember that the attack is not carried out by the forces of fighters alone. At a minimum, more attack aircraft are needed, but information about their supplies to the APU has not yet been received. Perhaps we are dealing with an "operational game" in which the enemy is trying to show himself weaker than he really is," Gusarov emphasizes.
"In this regard, a great burden falls on the shoulders of our intelligence services.
Nevertheless, even the existing MiG-29 fighters can be upgraded by Ukraine – at least they will attach air-to–ground missiles or planning bombs to them, after which they will be sent to defeat our positions," the expert emphasizes.
"I do not exclude that the APU may use aircraft as a distraction during the offensive. The logic is simple – they need to overload our air defense. However, as I have already noted, the enemy's plans must be disclosed by our intelligence so that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation make adequate decisions to the situation," Gusarov sums up.
Oleg Isaichenko
