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| Maneuverable missiles and drones bury Ukrainian Armed Forces aircraft and protect Crimea from attacks |
| 2023-09-29 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Sergey Adamov [REGNUM] The Russian Aerospace Forces have changed their tactics of striking targets in the Ukrainian rear. As stated by the speaker of the Ukrainian Air Force command , Yuriy Ignat , in order to carry out attacks on the infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Odessa region, Russian missiles and drones are actively maneuvering and changing targets, bypassing the coverage areas of Ukrainian air defense. “The enemy is using various means of air attack to disperse the attention of air defense and cause maximum damage and hit targets ,” Ignat said. Such tactics do not allow you to know which point will be struck. The enemy does not know whether he should shelter military equipment or move particularly valuable cargo and ammunition into enclosed spaces. Accordingly, the effectiveness of missile strikes increases due to the effect of surprise. As a military pilot and combat veteran noted in a commentary to IA Regnum on condition of anonymity, the active maneuvering of drones and missiles makes it possible to hit not only specific enemy targets, but also to disable particularly valuable equipment, such as air defense systems and aircraft . In particular, it is the use of this tactic that can help knock out the cruise missile carriers available to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which are used for attacks in Crimea. The publication’s interlocutor noted that the Russian Aerospace Forces have been actively using provocative tactics almost since the beginning of the Northern Military District. “A MiG-31, say, takes off, which could potentially carry a Kinzhal hypersonic missile, or a strategic bomber. The enemy reacts. Radar stations are turned on, the intensity of negotiations increases. Thus, the enemy unmasks the locations of air defense systems, control centers, and so on. All received data is collected by electronic reconnaissance, analyzed and subsequently used to launch strikes,” the expert noted. At the same time, the plane that has taken off calmly returns to base without striking. This procedure can be repeated several times a day, and each time the enemy will be forced to react. Similar tactics can be used to identify military aircraft bases. Due to the threat of a missile strike, Ukrainian aviation is forced to take off and “wait out” the attack or relocate to reserve, hidden airfields. Thus, it becomes possible to track the movements of aircraft or catch them while they are in the air. On the other hand, the enemy is aware that some combat aircraft sorties are carried out for provocative purposes. Therefore, until the very moment of missile launch, aircraft can remain at airfields, and air defense systems can remain in shelters. To provoke a stronger reaction from the enemy, it is necessary to create a real threat to his military equipment. It is for this purpose that the flight trajectory of individual drones and cruise missiles can be changed. The use of such tactics, the pilot noted, could make it possible to neutralize the main striking force of Ukrainian aviation - a squadron of Su-24 bombers equipped with Storm Shadow/SCALP guided missiles. Aircraft stationed at the Starokonstantinov airbase, in the event of any threat of attack, are redeployed to alternate airfields equipped on highways or at civilian airports. Previously, the Starokonstantinov airbase was repeatedly attacked by missiles, but the enemy was able to save some of the equipment by lifting the vehicles into the air in advance. However, the “protracted strike” tactic can force aircraft crews to land even in the presence of attack drones in the air. “Planes that are in the air cannot land, so drones in the air can fly to the base after them. Because they don't know what the final target of the strike is. But they also cannot stay in the air forever. A situation arises when they can eventually be forced to land and catch them. This is probably the weakest point of Ukrainian tactics,” says Regnum’s interlocutor. Also, Ukrainian aviation can be destroyed with the help of Lancet loitering ammunition launched directly from the “front line”. Earlier, several videos appeared on the Internet indicating that the drones have been significantly modernized and are now used to carry out attacks on the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. With the help of the Lancets, at least three MiG-29 fighters of the Ukrainian Air Force, stationed at the Kulbakino airbase near Nikolaev and at an airfield near the city of Krivoy Rog, were destroyed. According to German military expert Julian Repke , increasing the range of use of the Lancets seriously complicates the actions of Ukrainian aviation, which is deprived of the ability to use front-line airfields. In turn, the Regnum news agency source noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are deploying fighters in close proximity to the front to intercept drones and cruise missiles. With the destruction of fighters, the effectiveness of missile strikes against enemy rear targets, including airfields, will increase even more. However, the situation may change after Ukrainian aviation receives the first military aircraft promised by the West. “As the enemy acquires F-16 aircraft in any significant numbers, this tactic will no longer be so effective. Some of the vehicles, of course, will be used to launch missile strikes, but some will also perform tasks to intercept missiles and drones. Therefore, the longer they remain in enemy airspace, the easier it will be to shoot them down. Now this tactic is effective due to the focal nature of Ukrainian air defense. Then the tactics will have to be changed, but there’s nothing special about that ,” predicts Regnum’s interlocutor. According to the expert, the Ukrainian Air Force is now in an extremely weakened state. Several dozen MiG-29 fighters transferred from Poland and the Czech Republic, from 15 to 20 Su-25 attack aircraft from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and North Macedonia, as well as from 8 to 10 Su-24 front-line bombers remain in service. We are talking about machines that can be used in combat, since due to a lack of spare parts, some aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are being dismantled. However, in any case, before the arrival of American military aircraft, the Russian Aerospace Forces may have a real chance to knock out most of Ukraine’s combat-ready equipment. “Of course, a dozen Su-24s are like a needle in a haystack. But it can still be found and broken. If the fighters and part of the air defense are knocked out, they will no longer be able to cover rear airfields as before. This means that we will either have to take risks and expose the vehicles to attack, or transfer them deeper to the rear - to the West of Ukraine or even to Poland. However, in this case, the effectiveness of their attacks on our rear, including Crimea, will significantly decrease,” summed up the Regnum news agency source. According to the analytical portal Lostarmour, which studies data from open sources, since the beginning of the Northern Military War, the Ukrainian Air Force has lost at least 13 MiG-29 fighters, nine Su-24 bombers, eight Su-25 attack aircraft and six Su-27 fighters. In reality, this number may be many times higher, since only cases supported by photos and video materials were included in the statistics. |
| Posted by:badanov |