Kiev claims more than a dozen military planes were destroyed or damaged in large-scale drone attack on Russian air base overnight, while similar drone attack on Ukrainian base by Russian military damages aircraft He claims that he could not.
Ukraine announced Friday morning that it had launched the largest overnight drone attack of the war against Russia, with about 50 drones sent to a military airfield in Morozovsk, Rostov region, about 90 miles east of the Ukrainian border. insisted. A statement from the Ukrainian intelligence service that launched the raid claimed that the Russian air base was equipped with Su-34 fast bombers and Su-27 fighter jets.
Ukrainian intelligence praised the “impressive” results of the operation, claiming that “at least” six Russian military aircraft were destroyed, eight were damaged, and 20 Russian soldiers were killed or injured. They said the “special operation” would “significantly reduce” Russia’s ability to attack Ukraine.
As is often the case in the Ukraine war, the Russian government gave its own version of events, saying it had shot down or intercepted 44 drones in the Morozovsky district, and that only a local power substation was damaged.
Meanwhile, Russia launched its own drone and missile attack against Ukraine overnight, also targeting military airfields, with both sides relying on complex operations to shoot down jets in flight. It seems like they are trying to weaken the opponent’s air power. Ukraine has denied the effectiveness of the Russian attack, saying that while the hangar building at Korotich Airfield near Kharkiv was indeed damaged, the facility was not actually in use and no equipment or personnel were under attack. I denied it.
Combating the Russian air force is a particular priority for Ukraine, especially as Russia has switched to a strategy of bombarding Ukrainian positions with cheap, large quantities of powerful glide bombs. Modified from Soviet-era “dumb” munitions, the glide bomb kit combines folding wings, a control tail, and a simple satellite navigation kit to the bomb to create a cost-effective guided weapon.
The modified KAB-1500 bombs each weigh 1.5 tons or 33,000 pounds, most of which are high-explosive warheads.
Russia has some success in interfering with Western advanced guided bombs, Pentagon leak says https://t.co/Vxbz3bjVHO
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 14, 2023
RUSSIA – MARCH 8: A Russian Su-34 bomber seen in Russia before a FAB-500 modified with a glide kit attacks a Ukrainian target in the direction of the Avdeyevka region on March 8, 2024 . (Photo provided by: Russian Ministry of Defense/Data/Anadolu, via Getty Images)
Unspecified – March 29: A screen capture taken from a video shows a glide bomb in flight shortly after being dropped by a Su-34 fighter-bomber in the direction of South Donetsk on March 29, 2024. There is. (Photo provided by: Russian Ministry of Defense/Handout/Anadolu) via Getty Images)
Unspecified – March 29: A screen capture taken from a video shows the crew of a Su-34 fighter-bomber preparing to attack Ukrainian forces in the direction of South Donetsk on March 29, 2024. has been done. (Photo courtesy of Russian Ministry of Defense/Handout/Anadolu, via Getty Images)
As reported, Ukraine also has its own version of the Russian glide bomb, which uses American GPS rather than Russian GLONASS satellites for navigation, but is otherwise conceptually It’s the same. The Australian-developed JDAM-ER uses a navigation kit and glider wings attached to the Vietnam-era GBU Paveway bomb, and can reportedly glide 45 miles to its target.
Ukraine is equipping its air defense systems to try to repel Russian attacks every day, but glide bombs fired from aircraft can cover more than 25 miles to their targets very quickly, are relatively small, and have a heat signature similar to missiles. There isn’t. Therefore, the best option is to shoot down the aircraft before dropping the glider, and Ukrainian media reported today that the air base that was the target of the night attack “launched guided air bombs at Ukrainian towns and cities. “It is being used by Russian bombers.” front line position.”
Further afield:
The enemy is actively using aircraft to terrorize border cities and frontline settlements in Ukraine, dropping guided bombs and general-purpose air-dropped bombs…The superiority of Russian aviation makes it easier to deconquer occupied territories. has become an obstacle. Air bombs are weapons with terrifying destructive power that literally “change the landscape.”
The only way to protect yourself from Russian bombs is to destroy enemy planes. The Air Defense Force has already made significant progress in this area, but it is still not enough to bring about fundamental change.
Another part of the challenge, Ukraine says, is that it deploys its own advanced fighter jets, the U.S.-made F-16, to counter Russian bombers. “We look forward to our partners contributing to the realization of this goal in the near future,” they said this morning, although Ukraine has decided that donating F-16s is no longer meaningful as it has taken too long. It was a little different from the combative rhetoric he had announced just a few days earlier. arrive.
A “senior official” reportedly told Politico that Ukraine continues to request weapons systems from its Western allies, and that the weapons systems will only be useful if they arrive after a deadline has passed. That’s what it means. One example is the F-16, as the source said: The F-16 will be needed in 2023. “They will not be suitable for 2024, because Russia was already conducting preparatory work to counter them.”
It is unclear to what extent these statements reflected reality or were simply a headline-grabbing vehicle to promote Ukraine’s urgent calls for more artillery ammunition shipments and expectation management exercises.
RUSSIA – MARCH 18: A screen capture taken from a video shows a glide bomb in flight shortly after being dropped by a Su-34 fighter-bomber in the direction of the South Donetsk region on March 18, 2024. ing. (Photo courtesy: Russian Ministry of Defense/Handout/Anadolu, via Getty Images)
RUSSIA – MARCH 18: On March 18, 2024, Russian Su-34 bombers with precision guidance and FAB-500 bombs take off to attack targets in Ukraine and troops heading towards the South Donetsk region. You can see it before you do it. (Photo) Russian Ministry of Defense/Handout/Written by Anadolu, via Getty Images)
RUSSIA – MARCH 18: A Russian Su-34 bomber before precision-guided FAB-500 bombs strikes targets and troops in Ukraine after taking off for the southern region of Donetsk on March 18, 2024. Can be seen. (Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense/Handout/) Anadolu, via Getty Images)
