Ukrainian Air Force

Main article: Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU)

Military drones

Main article: Military drones in Ukraine

2024

34 F-16 fighters transferred to Ukraine by Western countries are based in Poland and Romania

At the Minsk-Mazowiecki air base east of Warsaw in mid-December 2024, 16 F-16 fighters were deployed. Of these, 7 have already been repainted under the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and they fly to Ukraine to combat drones. Another 6 F-16As of the Netherlands Air Force and 3 - Danish F-16s.

Thus, in Poland (but not in Ukraine) at this time there are 16 units of Ukrainian F-16s, but so far only 7 fly. After completing the tasks, they return to Minsk Mazowiecki. The rest are still being prepared for operation.

18 Dutch Air Force F-16A units are fixed in Romania at Fetesti Air Base.

Romania has organized crew training for these fighters since 2023. Previously, there were 6 units, but recently the number has increased. So in total, the Armed Forces of Ukraine now has 34 F-16 fighters.

The first 10 pilots are trained to control American F-16 fighters in France

According to French news agencies, the training of Ukrainian pilots to operate F-16 fighters in April 2024 takes place at the 120th Kazo airbase in Novaya Aquitaine in France.

Some publications say that in the town of Kazo, in the forests of which a military base is hidden, four people train near the Bay of Biscay, and six more will arrive in France in the summer.

Training is currently taking place on AlphaJet training aircraft, apparently owned by the private military company Top Aces. It is a Canadian-registered firm (there is an office in Germany) dedicated to training military airmen.

Another enterprise mentioned in the French media is PMC SDTS. An organization that performs a range of tasks in the interests of France. SDTS members participated in virtually all French operations abroad. They have MV339 training attack aircraft on their balance sheet. In addition to specialists from Top Aces, instructors from Belgium arrived at the base.

By September, the first 10 Ukrainian future F16 pilots had undergone accelerated training at the Air Force base in Kazo, where the Alfajetas are based.

Six of them had previously studied English and terminology on the basis of the English Armed Forces for 6 months.

All pilots are from 21 to 23 years old. The accelerated course teaches them Western combat techniques, flights at extremely low altitudes at high speed, various missions, including strikes on warehouses with enemy shells, respond in the event of a breakdown, etc.

They flew 80 hours on the Alfajets and 50 on F16 simulators from THALÈS.

Then they will continue training on the basis of the Romanian and NATO Armed Forces, where for another 6 months they will train on the remote F16 with instructors (probably from the Armed Forces of Belgium, Denmark, Holland).

In total, France will train 26 F16 pilots at the same base in Caso.

Ousting Air Force Commander Oleshchuk After Losing First F-16 From Western-Supplied

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose powers have long expired, fired the commander of the Air Force of Ukraine Mykola Oleshchuk in August 2024 after losing one of six F-16 aircraft delivered by the West to attack Russia. Lieutenant General Anatoly Krivonozhko came in his place, he had previously headed the Center air command. Read more here.

The sixth documented defeat of the Russian Armed Forces of the Armed Forces at the airfield near Krivoy Rog

In June 2024, a video of another effective strike of the Russian Armed Forces on the Dolgintsevo airfield near Krivoy Rog appeared. As a few days earlier, the Su-25 attack aircraft again became the target there, which, shortly before arrival, had just filled a fuel tanker with fuel.

Since the fall of 2023, this is the sixth documented episode of the disabling of enemy aircraft at this facility. In total, during this period, Ukrainian formations lost four Su-25s and two MiG-29 fighters on Dolgintsevo from barraging ammunition and cruise missiles.

Two Surveillance Aircraft Delivery Plan

On May 29, 2024, it became known that Sweden would provide two Saab ASC 890 surveillance aircraft to Ukraine as part of the largest military aid package from the Scandinavian country by this time.

Planes with Erieye radars, which can be used to detect drones, missiles and aircraft, as well as naval targets, will be deployed along with F-16 fighters donated by Europe.

The effective range of the onboard radar reaches 400 km, but under some conditions it may exceed this number, which will significantly simplify the detection of missiles, drones, and aviation of the Russian Armed Forces in the border zone.

It is not yet known how many copies the Swedes will transfer and when, given that the Swedish Air Force has two sides in total, they are replaced by the latest AWACS aircraft of the GlobalEye system.

At the same time, the training period is even longer than on fighters due to the difficulty in deploying airborne equipment. So either the transfer will take place much later, or the crews have been training for a long time. Or they will be replaced by Swedish pilots under the legend of mercenaries.

The Saab 340B radar operates in two 120-degree sectors, and its blind spots are its tail and nose. But even at the same time, one such aircraft can block an entire direction, being at a distance from the front line.

2023

BDK "Novocherkassk" of the Russian Navy blown up by NATO missile

On December 26, 2023, two Ukrainian Su-24M aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force attacked the Novocherkassk BDK in Feodosia with Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

Eyewitnesses published photos and videos of powerful explosions and a strong fire in the Feodosia port on social networks. After the first explosion, during a fire, a second explosion occurred on the ship, much more powerful than the first.

The wreckage of the ship scattered around the city, glass was broken in houses near the port, the school was damaged 800 meters from the explosion site. It is assumed that the explosive cargo located on the ship detonated.

One full squadron of 12 combat F-16s is located in Ukraine

One full F-16 squadron is located in December 2023 already in Ukraine: up to 12 combat and 3 training aircraft. By mid-spring 2024, it is planned to transfer another squadron.

All December, high-precision equipment for these aircraft is being delivered through Lviv. Therefore, the Russian Armed Forces beat Starokonstantinov, Dnepropetrovsk, Krivoy Rog.

Training flights of Ukrainian F-16s over Romania and Western Ukraine are also observed, and the use of the airfields of Ivano-Frankivsk and Uzhgorod for these purposes.

The reports of the Russian General Staff note the first combat launches of anti-radar missiles in the SVO zone.

Training center for training Ukrainian pilots in Romania

In July 2023, Warsaw Mermaid wrote about the imminent opening of a training center for training F-16 fighter pilots, in which pilots of the Ukrainian air forces will also be trained.

In November, five F-16A/B aircraft, withdrawn from the air force, flew from the Belgian Brussels-Charleroi air base to the Romanian Fetesti air base. Netherlands

Earlier, the defense departments of the Netherlands and Denmark announced the transfer of decommissioned fighters for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

At the same time, their flight does not mean at all that Ukrainian pilots will only begin to study on them. Pilot training began long before the officially announced decision to transfer fighters to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And for this category, five F-16s have already been delivered to Ukraine.

In total, up to 12 sides may be in Ukraine in December.

Flights of training F-16A/B from Fetesti began, and not only over Romania, wrote "Rybar": a pair of fighters flew to and from the area of ​ ​ Snake Island.

Start of deliveries of American F-16 aircraft

On the night of November 2, 2023, two trucks entered Ukraine from Poland, which contained two disassembled American F-16 fighters. As of November 2, five aircraft of this type have already been transported to the territory of Ukraine.

On the one hand, the supply of American fighters has been expected for a long time. The coordination of the F-16 transfer was discussed in the summer. But on the other hand, Western countries supplied the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the necessary amounts that allowed maintaining the conflict.

Their appearance now indirectly indicates the growing problems of the Ukrainian air force in ensuring the security of airspace. Enemy aviation is becoming less and less, and there is nowhere else to replenish it.

And so that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are not left without aircraft at all thanks to the work of the Aerospace Forces, air defense and the Black Sea Fleet of Russia, deliveries of the F-16 began.

Russian Armed Forces destroy Su-25 attack aircraft at Dolgintsevo airfield

On the evening of October 10, 2023, personnel appeared of the defeat of the Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft in the parking lot of the Dolgintsevo airfield near Krivoy Rog. The Lancet barraging ammunition flew in on it: a fire broke out, after which the plane completely burned down.

Russian Armed Forces destroy MiG-29 at Kulbakino airfield in Nikolaev

At the end of September 2023, a video of the strike of the Russian Armed Forces on the Kulbakino airfield in Nikolaev appeared: at least one arrival occurred on the MiG-29 fighter of the Ukrainian Air Force, which is parked near the runway.

This is the third documented case of the destruction of Ukrainian MiG-29s in the last few days. In this case, the target was also at a considerable distance from the front line - 55 km from the front line.

Destruction of two MiG-29s with Russian ammunition at Dolgintsevo airfield near Krivoy Rog

In September 2023, a video of a strike on the Dolgintsevo airfield east of Krivoy Rog appeared. The target was the MiG-29 at a parking lot in the northern part of the facility: after the arrival of the barraging ammunition, the fighter cannot be restored.

This is the second documented defeat of aircraft at this airfield in the last few days - last week, footage of a personnel of drone hitting another MiG-29 was released. Dolgintsevo itself is located at a distance of over 70 km from the front line.

Pilot training in France

As part of a tour of Europe to seek additional military assistance, Ukrainian President Zelensky visited Paris: on May 15, 2023, an agreement was reached there to train 6 thousand members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at training grounds in France and Poland.

However, an important subject of negotiations with Emmanuel Macron was also the training of Ukrainian pilots, which informally began back in 2022. According to the Rybar channel, about 30 representatives of the APU flight personnel are now undergoing training in the country:

• Part is located at 118 airbase near the city of Mont de Marsan and 133 airbase in Nancy-Osh. They take an accelerated three-month course on two-seat Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet and Mirage-2000B aircraft so that once completed, pilots can fly Mirage 2000D/-5 fighters.

• Training is also carried out at bases in Velisi and Romoranten-Lanten, but its exact details and scale are currently unknown.

Training of Ukrainian pilots in France, Britain and other states is part of the preparations for the transfer of Western-made combat aircraft to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Although no NATO country has yet agreed to give Ukraine fighters, this decision in the light of the sending of increasingly modern models of equipment is a matter of time.

The only question is what exactly and in what quantity the Ukrainian Air Force will be delivered. There are a lot of options here: from very old sides removed from service to newer F-16s of different modifications.

Production of 10 Polish MiG-29

On May 8, 2023, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine received ten Polish MiG-29s.

During the special operation of Russia, 16 Su-25 aircraft were lost

Before the start of the military special operation of Russia, the Ukrainian Air Force had 32 Su-25 attack aircraft in service and 10 more in storage. According to information from open sources, at the end of April 2023, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost about 16 aircraft of this type.

Runway equipment on Dnipropetrovsk highway

In April 2023, personnel appeared in the Ukrainian segment of the Internet with the take-off of the MiG-29 fighter of the Ukrainian air force from the Dnipropetrovsk highway.

By such measures, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine seeks to additionally protect its aircraft from attacks on basing places. This is not new to the enemy: on the first day of the special operation of Russia in 2022, a few hours before the start of the Russian massive attack, the planes went to spare airfields. As a result, most of the launches came "in milk."

And from the end of 2022, the engineering units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, together with private construction companies, began to conduct reconnaissance to deploy field airfields of tactical aviation.

The enemy creates one of the improvised airfields on the highway Ye105 from Dnepropetrovsk to Kharkov. On the 16-kilometer section of the highway, construction work began on the conversion of the road for the runway.

Along the site, fences and lawns were dismantled from the dividing strip. In their place, a continuous roadbed is laid, and taxiways, parking areas for aircraft and exits to them with reinforced concrete slabs PAG-18 are equipped parallel to the highway.

The tactics of the Ukrainian Air Force to change their bases in the past have shown their effectiveness. In particular, from all Russian attacks on airfields, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost only a few of their sides.

The construction of makeshift runways complicates the search for new satellite aircraft parking lots. However, not every road in eastern Ukraine is suitable for creating a network of such bases.

Transfer of 13 MiG-29 aircraft from Slovakia

In March 2023, Slovakia approved the supply of 13 MiG-29 fighters for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as part of military assistance. On March 23, the Slovak Defense Ministry confirmed that four MiG-29s had already been handed over to Ukraine.

More than a hundred units of tactical aviation

According to the documents of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as of 2022, there were 203 units of tactical aviation on the balance sheet of the Ukrainian air force, taking into account training.

In addition, 68 aircraft of various types were in storage, including the MiG-29, Su-24M, Su-24MR, Su-25M (Ukrainian modification of the M1) and Su-27.

It was this amount of flight equipment that was listed in the air forces of Ukraine.

These figures were officially present in all reporting documents of the Ukrainian General Staff, but this does not mean that the Armed Forces of Ukraine really had such a number of tactical aircraft.

Making an amendment to the level of corruption in all spheres of life of Ukraine, at least half of the combat aircraft were either inoperative or sold off for spare parts, the Rybar channel wrote.

As a rule, only some of the fighters, attack aircraft and bombers functioned in military units at tactical aviation bases, and the rest served as visual confirmation of their availability for inspections.

After the return of Crimea to Russia in Ukraine, they began to prepare their armed forces for war, and the situation with aviation was taken under full control: for lack of the best in the Ukrainian command, they began to restore what was.

And with the beginning of the conflict in 2022, Ukrainian formations began to be supported by specialists from Eastern. Europe

Dozens of aircraft were restored on the basis of Polish repair enterprises, as well as at air bases in Western Ukraine, which led to a quantitative increase in aviation departures by the new year.

Despite dozens of losses (58 - according to Oryx, 25 - according to LostArmour), there are many more aircraft on the balance sheet of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and some of them are already ready for the use of NATO ammunition.

In March 2023, Slovakia approved the supply of 13 MiG-29 fighters for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as part of military assistance. On March 23, the Slovak Defense Ministry confirmed that four MiG-29s had already been handed over to Ukraine.

In exchange for this, Bratislava hopes to raise more than $900 million in compensation, 700 million of which will go to provide contracts concluded with the United States for the purchase of weapons and equipment.

The requested amount is quite surprising, given that the MiGs were withdrawn from the Slovak Air Force back in August 2022, and their condition is unknown. During the last MiG flight, only five aircraft were involved in the event.

According to some reports, these five units for 2022 were the only fighters that were combat-ready. The rest either needed major repairs, or were partially dismantled for spare units and units to maintain the operability of the remaining MiG-29s.

Probably, the Slovaks will give all 13 declared fighters, just some of them will be transferred in an inoperative state. And the repair and their restoration will fall on Ukrainian engineers together with specialists from Western countries. The fact that it will not work to put into operation will go to the details.

Since the beginning of the SVO, the Ukrainian authorities have established repair bases for old Soviet aircraft using Western assistance.

2022: Russian Defense Ministry claims destruction of 280 aircraft and 151 helicopters in Ukraine

By August 31, 2022, according to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, since the beginning of the special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine, the following has been destroyed:

• 280 aircraft,
• 151 helicopters,
• 1844 unmanned aerial vehicles.

2019:39 fighter planes

See also

• Russian Air Force
• UNITED STATES AIR FORCE (USAF)