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Russian Air Force Not a Major Factor in War
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:04 pm
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:04 pm
Sean Spoonts, editor-in-chief of the military news outlet SOFREP, told Newsweek there are a number of reasons why he feels Putin's air campaign has been ineffective.
When the war in Ukraine began, many experts predicted Russia's reportedly mighty air force would play a key role in securing a quick victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Not only did that prediction not come to fruition, but Russia's air force has not been much of a factor in the war at all.
Russia possesses one of the largest air forces in the world with 1,511 combat aircraft to Ukraine's 98, according to Flight Global's 2022 World Air Force directory. In March, The Economist wrote of how Russia has spent billions of dollars in the past decade on warplanes that were said to be "as advanced as anything the rest of Europe has to offer."
Yet, Russia has not managed to establish air superiority over Ukraine and continues to lose aircraft as the result of Ukraine's anti-aircraft weapons, which includes technologically advanced equipment provided by NATO countries.
One major problem for Russia is the "sheer size" of Ukraine, which makes it an uneasy place to target from the air, Spoonts said. He said another issue is Russia's air fleet has only about a 70 percent success rate of getting planes up in the air. (By contrast, Spoonts said the U.S. forces have a flying percentage rate in the 90s.)
Spoonts said Russia's military has also grappled with "higher maintenance costs" and "higher supply costs," resulting in the inability to replace destroyed or damaged aircraft and equipment.
Spoonts added Ukrainian forces have also been surprisingly successfully in thwarting Russia air attacks. He said Ukraine has both high- and low-altitude anti-aircraft capability, which "has denied the Russian air force the ability to operate freely."
"The Russians aren't able to even maintain local air superiority over their own forces, because you see Ukrainian drones flying over Russian forces and dropping bombs."
Discussing the immense size of Putin's air force, Spoonts said Russia hasn't utilized all its planes.
"It's inexplicable to us [SOFREP] why they're not using their aircraft more," he said. He added that it's believed that a lack of parts, the low success rate of getting planes in the air and the limits of mainly dropping dumb bombs has restricted Russia from using more of its air fleet.
Newsweek
When the war in Ukraine began, many experts predicted Russia's reportedly mighty air force would play a key role in securing a quick victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Not only did that prediction not come to fruition, but Russia's air force has not been much of a factor in the war at all.
Russia possesses one of the largest air forces in the world with 1,511 combat aircraft to Ukraine's 98, according to Flight Global's 2022 World Air Force directory. In March, The Economist wrote of how Russia has spent billions of dollars in the past decade on warplanes that were said to be "as advanced as anything the rest of Europe has to offer."
Yet, Russia has not managed to establish air superiority over Ukraine and continues to lose aircraft as the result of Ukraine's anti-aircraft weapons, which includes technologically advanced equipment provided by NATO countries.
One major problem for Russia is the "sheer size" of Ukraine, which makes it an uneasy place to target from the air, Spoonts said. He said another issue is Russia's air fleet has only about a 70 percent success rate of getting planes up in the air. (By contrast, Spoonts said the U.S. forces have a flying percentage rate in the 90s.)
Spoonts said Russia's military has also grappled with "higher maintenance costs" and "higher supply costs," resulting in the inability to replace destroyed or damaged aircraft and equipment.
Spoonts added Ukrainian forces have also been surprisingly successfully in thwarting Russia air attacks. He said Ukraine has both high- and low-altitude anti-aircraft capability, which "has denied the Russian air force the ability to operate freely."
"The Russians aren't able to even maintain local air superiority over their own forces, because you see Ukrainian drones flying over Russian forces and dropping bombs."
Discussing the immense size of Putin's air force, Spoonts said Russia hasn't utilized all its planes.
"It's inexplicable to us [SOFREP] why they're not using their aircraft more," he said. He added that it's believed that a lack of parts, the low success rate of getting planes in the air and the limits of mainly dropping dumb bombs has restricted Russia from using more of its air fleet.
Newsweek
21
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:13 pm to blueridgeTiger
Just target practice for the Ghost of Kiev.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:15 pm to blueridgeTiger
quote:
"It's inexplicable to us [SOFREP] why they're not using their aircraft more
I think Russia planned on using just enough forces, and underestimated.
They could walk over Ukraine with the full force of their military.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:19 pm to blueridgeTiger
Putler never had a chance
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:21 pm to blueridgeTiger
quote:
Russia possesses one of the largest air forces in the world with 1,511 combat aircraft
Which means absolutely dick if you can’t maintenance them.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:24 pm to blueridgeTiger
[quote]Russia possesses one of the largest air forces in the world with 1,511 combat aircraft[/quote
Not anymore do they have this many.
Not anymore do they have this many.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:25 pm to blueridgeTiger
Ukrainian soldiers consistently complain about Russian air power, and the lack of their own air power.
This post was edited on 5/24/22 at 2:25 pm
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:28 pm to blueridgeTiger
quote:1500 of which seem to be very large, very heavy paperweights.
one of the largest air forces in the world with 1,511 combat aircraft
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:36 pm to blueridgeTiger
What about all those hyper-sonic missiles?
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:38 pm to blueridgeTiger
Putin also has to deal with unforeseen gas price increases caused by Biden.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:42 pm to Godfather1
quote:
Which means absolutely dick if you can’t maintenance them.
Yep. How many ships and subs does Russia have? How many of those are actually seaworthy?
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:47 pm to Ace Midnight
quote:
Ghost of Kiev.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:53 pm to blueridgeTiger
quote:
The Russians aren't able to even maintain local air superiority over their own forces, because you see Ukrainian drones flying over Russian forces and dropping bombs."
Couldn’t help but laugh at this a little.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:53 pm to blueridgeTiger
quote:
It's inexplicable to us [SOFREP] why they're not using their aircraft more
Oh FFS, it's easy to see why. They've said from the beginning that they want to limit damage to Ukraine. They see it as bringing their lands and people back home, not a true foreign invasion like Afghanistan where they don't give a crap about the people below. To Russians, people in Ukraine ARE as Russian as they are. Kiev IS a Russian city.
The Russians could go Total War if they wished. They could go all Sherman and burn the cities to the ground. They don't want to. They'd have many fewer casualties if they DID pull an Atlanta and do their own march to the sea. They think it worth the cost in casualties not to take that approach. Does anyone think for a second that they couldn't send up a fleet of Bears and Backfires and completely burn Urkaine's cities to the ground if they wanted to? They definitely have the capacity.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:55 pm to blueridgeTiger
Take all of this with a grain of salt.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:55 pm to blueridgeTiger
Funny, about a week ago saw a clip of a Ukrainian soldier and he said his biggest fear was the Russian air force. He said the Russian air force had been absolutely plummeting his position.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 2:58 pm to blueridgeTiger
quote:
Russia possesses one of the largest air forces in the world with 1,511 combat aircraft to Ukraine's 98,
Easy explanation...peruse Google Earth and observe any Russian AF base. Count the numbers of aircraft in various states of disrepair, or simply written off, scattered around the airfield. Russia may have a 1/3 of those 1500 as combat capable, not ready, capable.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 3:02 pm to blueridgeTiger
quote:
Goods must be produced, but they must not be distributed. And in practice the only way of achieving this was by continuous warfare.
The essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives, but of the products of human labour. War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent. Even when weapons of war are not actually destroyed, their manufacture is still a convenient way of expending labour power without producing anything that can be consumed.
for example, has locked up in it the labour that would build several hundred cargo-ships. Ultimately it is scrapped as obsolete, never having brought any material benefit to any.
In principle the war effort is always so planned as to eat up any surplus that might exist after meeting the bare needs of the population. In practice the needs of the population are always underestimated
policy to keep even the favoured groups somewhere near
the brink of hardship, because a general state of scarcity increases the importance of small privileges and thus magnifies the distinction between one group and another.
The consciousness of being at war, and therefore in danger, makes the handing-over of all power to a small caste seem the natural, unavoidable condition of survival.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 3:04 pm to blueridgeTiger
I wonder if that is because they don’t want to destroy the country, infrastructure, or people? They are there to rid Ukraine of corruption, both Nazis and US corruption.
Posted on 5/24/22 at 3:09 pm to Placekicker
quote:
They are there to rid Ukraine of corruption, both Nazis and US corruption.
That is laughably naïve. Its a land grab for the Donbas/Black Sea corridor to Crimea, and it has never been anything different.
To think that Russia, of all nations, is on some benevolent mission to rid Ukraine of bigots and corruption is just
This post was edited on 5/24/22 at 3:10 pm
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