The Ukraine Air War - The Russian campaign & does Ukraine need Western jets?

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Before the war, the Russian Government had poured significant sums into the modernisation of its air-force, acquiring hundreds of new aircraft, deploying new weapon systems and testing the force over Syria.

In Ukraine, the VKS has found itself as the stronger party, but none the less held off by Ukrainian air defences and fighters and incapable of delivering decisive support for ground forces.

In this episode we look at the air war (building on previous discussions of ground based air defences and helicopters) and also at one of the most contentious issues for Western nations supporting Ukraine - whether UA needs (and should receive) Western built aircraft.

Patreon:
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Caveats & Comments:

As always - caveats around the fog of war apply - particularly in relation to an area of warfare as traditionally associated with overclaiming or duelling narratives as air combat.

Where possible I have used up to date data - but reporting from the front on changing sortie rates and tactics is (obviously) inconsistent and observations may not be reflective of current state

I also note that many old RU MoD publications and pages have become inaccessible in recent months/years - in these cases I can rely on tools include internet archives or contemporaneous secondary publications

Sources and reading:
Thanks to those who contributed on background to the creation of this episode

The Russian Air War and Ukrainian Requirements for Air Defence
https://rusi.org/explore-our-research...

Is the VKS incapable of complex air operations?
https://rusi.org/explore-our-research...

CRS Report on jets to Ukraine
https://crsreports.congress.gov/produ...

Justin Bronk on Typhoons to Ukraine:
https://rusi.org/explore-our-research...

Fellow Aussie Animarchy on the air-war:
   • The Air War in Ukraine: How Russia fa...  

VKS operations in Syria:
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand...

Russian media on use of Kh-29:
https://tass.com/defense/1510125?utm_...

Russian bomber operations in Ukraine
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...

A UA Pilot account:
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...

JAPPC Edition 35 - Ukraine
https://www.japcc.org/wp-content/uplo...

UA Call for F-16
https://mil.in.ua/en/news/zaluzhnyi-s...

Original MiG-29 transfer deal falling through
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3...

Senators from both parties call for F-16
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03...

Su-25 video featured:
  / 1641365340847239170  

Su-25 Crash
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...

Scholtz on no jets for Ukraine
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1...

JDAM-ER
https://www.dst.defence.gov.au/innova...

Reporting on AIM-120 integration with MiG-29
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...

Request for JAS-39
https://mil.in.ua/en/news/sweden-is-c...

Britain to train UA pilots:
https://www.defensenews.com/training-...


Timestamps:
00:00:00 — The Ukraine Air War & The Need For Western Jets
00:01:30 — What Am I Talking About?
00:02:30 — Sponsor: Private Internet Access
00:04:01 — Doctrine & History
00:09:52 — The VKS (Russian Aerospace Forces)
00:15:35 — The Ukrainian Air Force
00:17:20 — The Early War
00:21:08 — Airspace Denied
00:28:06 — Current Employment
00:34:43 — Technology, Energy & Dominance
00:39:15 — Casualties And Attrition
00:48:34 — Resupply & The Western Jet Problem
00:54:01 — Capability Over Platforms
00:58:15 — Contesting Vks Operations
01:03:55 — Mass And Multi-role
01:05:36 — Standoff And Escalation
01:11:01 — Observations & Warnings
01:13:17 — Conclusions
01:14:30 — Channel Update