Forbes 'examines' the combat capabilities of the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Ukrainian Air Force
Compared to the Russian Aerospace Forces, the Ukrainian Air Force is irreparably inferior, writes the American magazine Forbes.
The Kiev authorities, according to the authors of the article, can mobilize a maximum of 125 combat aircraft to operate at the front. Of these, 71 are fighters. Of these fighters, 34 are combat-ready twin-engine Su-27 Flanker.
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| Russian fighter jets during an exercise. Photo: AFP 2021 / Denis Sinyakov |
In contrast to Ukraine's 70 operational combat aircraft, the Russian Aerospace Forces can deploy hundreds of new and much more capable aircraft, the article notes. As the author of the article notes, in any case, the hypothetical "battle" will most likely be short-lived. And it will not end in Ukraine's favor.
Earlier, security expert Mark Episkopos in an article published in the National Interest magazine recalled that the Ukrainian Air Force consists of only a fleet of outdated Soviet aircraft from the 1960s-1970s. The dominance of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the air will be ensured by a fleet of modernized fighter and attack aircraft, as well as a wide-ranging and multi-line air defense network. The military budgets of the two countries also have significant differences. Kiev spends about $5.2 billion on the military, while Moscow spends $65 billion on this field.