Full-scale use of front-line air power
Take the risk of being shot down and go to the front line
Russian President Vladimir Putin. [사진출처 = 연합뉴스]
As the Ukraine War, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has passed more than two years, an analysis has emerged that the Russian military, which it had been focusing on, has begun to utilize its air power in earnest on the front lines.
However, as Russia sends fighter jets to the front lines, the destructive power of attacks is increasing, but it has been confirmed that quite a few fighter jets are shot down in enemy territory.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 5th (local time) that Russia is increasing the role of its air force as it focuses its efforts on Ukraine’s eastern front.
Military analysts say Russia is continuing to increase its use of fighter jets near the front line with the aim of dropping powerful guided bombs on Ukrainian positions and clearing infantry lines of advance.
Experts assessed that this change in tactics led to Russia finally occupying the eastern city of Audijuka, where fierce fighting had continued for nine months.
Russia lost a significant number of fighter jets in the first month of the war after being pushed out by Ukrainian air forces and missile attacks.
Russian Sukhoi-34 fighter-bomber. [사진출처 = 연합뉴스]
Accordingly, the deployment of fighter jets to the front line was halted and targets were attacked from the rear with cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. However, missiles are often shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, so it is not possible to expect powerful firepower to directly hit targets with fighter jets.
However, this began to change early last year when Russia used glide bombs that can destroy front-line enemy bunkers with one shot.
It was analyzed that in order to maximize the effect of the glide bomb, Russia launched fighter jets closer to the front line.
Operating such a fighter involves the risk of being shot down.
According to the Ukrainian military, late last year, Ukrainian forces destroyed three SU-34 fighter-bombers on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in the south. Last week, it was announced that they had shot down an A-50 long-range radar detector in the east, followed by seven SU-34 fighter-bombers.
Ukrainian officials also claimed that 15 fighter jets were shot down in a matter of days.
The American think tank Institute for War Studies (ISW) analyzed that “the Russian military appears to have tolerated an increase in fighter loss rates in recent weeks in order to carry out glide bomb attacks in eastern Ukraine.”
However, it is unclear to what extent Russia will be able to bear these losses in the long term.
#Russias #focus #ground #warfare #changed.. #Putins #dangerous #decision
2024-03-05 12:38:15
