Ukraine said it destroyed two more Russian fighter jets by sneaking into an airfield hangar over the weekend, estimating the destroyed aircrafts’ combined worth at up to $100 million.
The hits add to the large haul of Russian jets Ukraine says it has been able to strike even at bases hundreds of miles from the front lines. Business Insider was not able to independently verify Ukraine’s claim.
Ukraine’s destruction of aircraft has hampered Russia’s ability to be effective in the air in its invasion of Ukraine. It has also caused concern among Western militaries about how well they can protect their own assets if potential adversaries like Russia and China were to use similar tactics against them.
Ukraine says it took down 2 Russian Su-30 aircraft
Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate (GUR) reported the kill on Monday, saying its operation put two Russian Su-30 aircraft out of action.
It shared video footage that appeared to be filmed inside a hangar, showing two aircraft tail numbers, the inside of a cockpit, and flames inside at least one aircraft.
The GUR said an agent was able to enter an airfield near the city of Lipetsk in western Russia, attack the jets in the hangar, and then leave the airfield unnoticed as a result of studying its patrol route and guard change schedule.
The Su-30 is a Soviet-designed, twin-engine fighter jet. The GUR originally said that a Su-30 and a Su-27 were hit, but later revised its information to say that it was two Su-30s.
The GUR did not give details on how the attack was carried out.
It said the attack was planned for two weeks and conducted by an agent connected to the resistance movement that opposes Russia’s invasion. There are multiple resistance groups in Russia and in Russian-occupied Ukraine that oppose the war and that have claimed sabotage attacks on Russia.
Ukraine has previously been able to destroy Russian jets by getting personnel close to Russian air bases. Earlier this year, it sneaked more than one hundred drones into Russian territory and launched them near key airbases, hitting dozens of aircraft in its Operation Spiderweb.
That sparked concern over how the West can protect its air assets, including ones close to China.
Ukraine also claimed another big win this weekend, with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Saturday saying that drones struck two Russian Su-27 jets on an airfield. Business Insider was not able to independently verify Ukraine’s claim of this attack.
Battling for control of the air
The war in Ukraine has been a fierce battle for control of the air, with neither side able to gain full air superiority. That has contributed to the war now being a slow-moving battle, with neither military able to easily launch large attacks on or bomb the other’s positions.
Ukraine has used new and innovative means to hit Russian aircraft, including by developing long-range drones and naval drones, which it said have destroyed Russian jets in a historic first.
Russia has also been able to destroy Ukrainian jets throughout the war, and it has demonstrated its own capability to conduct long-range attacks. It sends huge barrages of drones and missiles across Ukraine, hitting both military and civilian targets.
The war has also been a wake-up call for the West. The West has not fought a war like this in decades and instead has been in conflicts, like counter-insurgency operations, where it has had big advantages over its adversaries, particularly in the air.
The West, since the end of the Cold War, has not heavily invested in the kinds of ground-based air defense that are key to stopping the attacks common in this war. Investment in them is now a priority for NATO.
Another problem for the West is that this war shows how cheap drones, worth thousands of dollars, can destroy aircraft and other advanced weaponry worth millions.
The types of air defenses that the US and its allies have focused on for decades are unsustainable. For example, one interceptor missile for the US-made Patriot air defense system costs $7 million. Firing dozens of those to stop an attack by cheap drones is a position no Western military wants to be in.
NATO is eyeing up far cheaper defenses to stop drone attacks and protect assets like bases, learning from some of the tech Ukraine has developed.
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