4 ms·

If not for the massive aid and influx of weapons from NATO, It would have fallen in days. Ukrainian airforce got quickly overwhelmed in the first days of war an

If not for the massive aid and influx of weapons from NATO, It would have fallen in days. Ukrainian airforce got quickly overwhelmed in the first days of war and it was the shipment of NATO anti-aircraft missiles that allowed them to challenge Russian air supremacy.

vasac 4y ago
NATO supplied them with Stingers which can be used only against low level flying airplanes. What keeps Russians from gaining air supremacy are numerous S-300 and Buk batteries that make flying Su-25 or Su-34 outside of Stinger range very dangerous so Russians almost don't fly that high at all.
chii 4y ago
> Ukrainian airforce got quickly overwhelmed in the first days of war that's not strictly true. While russia has majority air superiority, they don't have complete superiority which prevents sorties from ukraine. I think ukraine is fighting quite valiantly at the beginning, when the world expected them to lose. And the west probably was shocked at their actual performance (as well as the incompetence of the russian military). It was direct evidence that ukraine could at least hold out, which means the support and equipment from the west could have time to roll in.
- alaricus 4y ago
  Ukrainian air force is probably all destroyed by now. It's the Turkish drones that are still flying. They are easier to hide and don't need the same level of infrastructure that airplanes need. I don't know if drones count as airforce or something else. It's just semantics.
  - p_l 4y ago
    Actually evidence shows up of more Ukrainian strike planes flying than before, mostly Su-25 and Su-24 caught on camera. Also fighter force while heavily reduced was continuously flying sorties and helped deny air superiority to Russia, though due to numbers it wasn't as visible as the infamous SAM hits.

4 ms·

If not for the massive aid and influx of weapons from NATO, It would have fallen in days. Ukrainian airforce got quickly overwhelmed in the first days of war an

by otagekki 4y ago

vasac 4y ago
NATO supplied them with Stingers which can be used only against low level flying airplanes. What keeps Russians from gaining air supremacy are numerous S-300 and Buk batteries that make flying Su-25 or Su-34 outside of Stinger range very dangerous so Russians almost don't fly that high at all.
chii 4y ago
> Ukrainian airforce got quickly overwhelmed in the first days of war that's not strictly true. While russia has majority air superiority, they don't have complete superiority which prevents sorties from ukraine. I think ukraine is fighting quite valiantly at the beginning, when the world expected them to lose. And the west probably was shocked at their actual performance (as well as the incompetence of the russian military). It was direct evidence that ukraine could at least hold out, which means the support and equipment from the west could have time to roll in.
- alaricus 4y ago
  Ukrainian air force is probably all destroyed by now. It's the Turkish drones that are still flying. They are easier to hide and don't need the same level of infrastructure that airplanes need. I don't know if drones count as airforce or something else. It's just semantics.
  - p_l 4y ago
    Actually evidence shows up of more Ukrainian strike planes flying than before, mostly Su-25 and Su-24 caught on camera. Also fighter force while heavily reduced was continuously flying sorties and helped deny air superiority to Russia, though due to numbers it wasn't as visible as the infamous SAM hits.