Counteroffensive to pace up if Ukraine seizes aerial superiority - Air Force commander
If Ukraine gains air superiority, the tempo of the ongoing counteroffensive will be much higher.
That’s according to Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of Ukraine’s Air Force, who spoke on the air of the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.
"If we gain superiority in the air, believe me, the pace of our counteroffensive will be much higher. That’s because soldiers on the battlefield should feel that they are protected from the sky," Oleshchuk said.
He explained that one of the main rules for prevailing in battles is to stop the enemy advance and force them to switch to forced defense. Next is seizing superiority and dominance in the air.
"We won superiority and supremacy in the air in Ukraine, except for the temporarily occupied territories. Enemy aviation definitely dominates there. The main threat today is the Su-35 aircraft. In order to destroy them, a group of F-16-, Jazz 39 Gripen- type aircraft is enough," said Oleshchuk.
According to the commander, if the enemy loses 2 to 5 percent of their aircraft, they will abandon combat missions and analyze the situation.
"And it is possible to temporarily, or even completely one day, to gain aerial superiority," Oleshchuk said.
Now, according to the commander, thanks to international partners, the warplanes already in service have been modernized.
The Su-27s have been upgraded to carry AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missiles, MIG-29s now operate GBU-62 bombs, Su-24s can carry Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles, and Su-25s use U.S.-made Zuni-type unguided missiles.
"But, of course, this isn’t enough. These weapons are non-standard for these aircraft. Therefore, their efficiency is much lower than it would be with their standard use. But we work with what we have at hand." Oleshchuk said.
He added that, unfortunately, Ukrainian aircraft are significantly inferior in terms of technical features to the Russian Su-35, which currently does not allow the Air Force to shoot them down in air combat.
"The Su-35’s radar has a range of up to 400 kilometers while that on our plane is only 80-90 kilometers. Before we even spot that plane, it will already fire a missile at us. The strike range of the Su-35 plane is more than 200 kilometers, while it’s only 20 to 40 km for our MIG-29s and Su-27s. That is, before we even take off from the airfield, our aircraft will already be in the strike zone of the enemy aircraft," Oleshchuk explained.
According to the commander, Ukrainian planes are consistent targets while performing sorties.
"Each time, our pilot is targeted by five to nine aircraft of various types. The attacks come both from the ground and from the air. Thanks to their professional training, we often manage to avoid strikes but unfortunately there are losses among pilots and we also lose planes. We keep operating in such conditions and we are fulfilling our task. The enemy has suffered losses since the outset of armed aggression. We have downed more than 200 warplanes," Oleschuk said.
However, at the moment, Russia still has a sufficient fleet of combat aircraft to conduct air operations. Also, the production of new aircraft and missiles is ongoing in Russia.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine declared the start of test flights of Gripen aircraft with the participation of Ukrainian pilots. Also, Ukraine and Sweden discussed the steps for the possible sale of these aircraft. The President of Ukraine was set to discuss this with representatives of Sweden’s political forces.