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​Two Squadrons of russian Su-35 Have Been Destroyed, the Occupiers Turn to Obsolete Su-24M

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Wrecked russian Su-35 / Open source illustrative photo
Wrecked russian Su-35 / Open source illustrative photo

Heavy losses among modern arsenal once again force russian invasion forces to use aged weapons instead, now it’s the turn of aircraft

We have already seen russians using old missiles, old tanks and armored carriers, but now they resorted to the active use of Su-24M attack aircraft as a substitute for Su-35. This is the assessment of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Brigadier general Oleksii Hromov, one of top military officials in the General Staff said during the briefing at Ukraine Media Center that the reason for that is the heavy losses, over the recent days in particular:

Read more: ​What are Real russia’s Losses After Explosions at Saki Military Airfield in Crimea

"Ukraine’s Air Defense Forces downed 27 air targets over the last week. Because of significant aircraft losses, the invaders consider using obsolete Su-24M jets that were retired by the aggressor in 2005 to 2018," Hromov said.

Su-35 (NATO designator Flanker-E) is one of the most capable russian multi-role fighters, capable of reaching Mach 2 and operational range of 3,600km (normal) or 4,200km (ferry) / Source: Airforce Technology / Photo credit: AeroTime Hub

However, even the Su-35s have been performing not that well actually. According to the General Staff, russia used to supply Su-35 warplanes to China but only 9 out of 24 were in good working order. This fact points to this aircraft’s low efficiency and unreliability, the Ukrainian military suggest. Most operating failures in these jets were caused by their onboard systems.

"Su-35 warplanes also demonstrated low combat survivability. Over the period of the all-out aggression, the invaders lost two squadrons of such jets or about 24 airplanes," Oleksii Hromov emphasized.

Su-24M (NATO reporting name Fencer) is an attack aircraft that is not suited to engage in aerial combat but is still a potent threat to ground forces / Photo credit: Alexander Mishin, Wikimedia Commons

Defense Express notes that this transition is not just a step back into the technologies of the 1970s. In fact, despite lower performance "on paper", the obsolete Su-24, Su-25 and Su-24M have been quite powerful in hands of Ukrainian pilots, which managed to deny russians complete domination in the skies in the first months of invasion and gradually started to pose a significant threat to russian ground forces as they started to feel more confident with russian air defenses systematically wiped out.

The other side to the question is whether russian pilots can utilize the very same aircraft with this level of effectiveness shown by the Ukrainian Air Force. As we know, the relative technological disadvantage did not appear to be an obstacle for Ukrainian pilots to fight back against russian ones. And now, as russians are forced to switch to older Su-24Ms, this is when it really becomes a one-way trip for a russian pilot.

Read more: ​Ukraine’s Air Force Use Rare Guided Missiles for Su-24M Aircraft (Video)