HISTORY

Air war over Ukraine

Migs fly East!

Text: Miro Barič

Mig-29UBS bort number 5304 was also handed over to Ukraine. The picture was taken at SIAF 2019.

The war in Ukraine carried over to the next year. From

March 1 to March 31, period we cover in this episode, the

most important event of the air war were reinforcements in

the form of Mig-29 fighter from Poland and Slovak Republic

and an incident during which the American MQ-9 Reaper

drone and Russian Su-27 fighter collided in the international

airspace over the Black Sea. Let look closer at both events.

It is admirable how long the Ukrainian defenders

resist the Russian “three-day” special operation.

Even the next large-scale counterattack is being

prepared of course preceded by a large amount

of the disinformation to confuse the enemy. It is

certain that the Russian attempt at the winter

offensive vanished. In Bakhmut the Russians

make slow progress but it has been eight

months since the operation to capture it started

and 58th largest city in Ukraine still resists.

The Russian advance at Vuhledar gradually

stopped and the occupier’s efforts on SvatovoKremnina line are not bearing fruits. There were

hard time for Avdiyivka though. The Russians

took advantage of the fact that the city sticks

out of the frontline, and they control both

right and left wings. The Ukrainian AA defense

has to operate further from the front and the

Russians could achieve the local air superiority.

The coordinated deployment of the electronic

warfare, artillery and ground-air missiles to

suppress the Ukrainian AA defense creates

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a small window through which the Russian

bombers can attack unmolested. Russain Mig-31

and Su-35 armed with air-to-air missiles

engage the Ukrainian fighters equipped with

similar rockets but of shorter range. Price paid

is the increased number of the Russian ground

radars and jammers destroyed. Those are not

only hit by HARM rockets launched from the

Ukrainian aircraft but due to the vicinity of the

frontline by the Ukrainian artillery as well.

American drone vs. Russian fighter

On Tuesday, March 14, the most serious incident

occured between the Russian and Western armed

forces since the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Two

Su-27 fighters attacked the American MQ-9

Reaper drone in the international airspace

above the Black Sea and caused the drone’s

crash. It was maneuvering approximately

60 km south-west from the occupied Crimea.

The whole incident lasted 30–40 minutes.

According to the American statements the

Photo: Ukrainian Armed Forces, social

media and other public sources

pair of Su-27 fighters approached the drone

as many as 19 times. During the last three or

four passes they splashed it with fuel in an

effort to blind or damage the drone. In the end

one of the fighters crashed into it from behind

and destroyed its propeller. The drone could

not sustain the flight and an operator guided

it into the water. Washington called upon the

Russian ambassador who, in the line with the

Russian propaganda, claimed that it was an

American provocation. Moscow maintained that

Russia is not responsible, there was no physical

contact made and MQ-9 Reaper crashed due to

the abrupt maneuvers. It’s interesting that the

ambassador stressed out several times that the

Russian fighters had not deployed any of the onboard weapons, regardless no one made such

an accusation.

Two days after an incident Pentagon published

a video captured by drone’s camera which

again proved the Russian lies. The only aircraft

maneuvering abruptly were the Russian fighters.

June 2023