The current state of Ukraine’s combat aviation Unified fighter F-16, Gripen, Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale, F/A-18, F-15 Western compromise The current state of Ukraine’s combat aviation The Ukrainian Air Force operates four main types of aircraft: MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters, Su-24M frontline bombers (and their reconnaissance variant, the Su-24MR), and Su-25 attack aircraft. According to the new issue of the World Air Forces 2023 guide by FlightGlobal, which specializes in the aviation of the world’s armies, Ukraine has about 100 combat aircraft in its air fleet (this is public information). According to the same rating, Russia currently has more than 1,500 combat aircraft in service. At the same time, Ukraine’s combat aircraft is, to put it mildly, outdated. Kyiv inherited almost all of its aircraft from the Soviet Union. In addition, in the last years of the Soviet Union, the equipment was rarely updated, so it all remained at the level of the early 1980s. Given that most spare parts and components for aircraft can be found in Russia or post-Soviet countries, it was problematic to repair and modernize Ukrainian equipment even before the outbreak of hostilities. Obviously, after February 24, it was even more so. Despite these difficult circumstances, since independence, Ukraine has managed to modernize its Su-25s and minimally upgrade some MiG-29s and Su-27s. In particular, the Su-25 was equipped with an additional satellite navigation system, a digital sight was installed, the range of unguided munitions was expanded, and an infrared countermeasure was installed. In turn, some of the tactical Su-27 and MiG-29 received a new multifunctional screen and new satellite navigation systems. See also:  War for the Arctic or energy sabotage: why Russian spies have become more active in Norway Given the poor technical condition of Ukrainian aircraft, it is not surprising that before the full-scale invasion began, Russians believed that they would knock out Ukrainian aviation in a matter of days. This did not happen. In extremely difficult conditions, the pilots, repairmen and operators of the Air Force’s air defense systems showed unprecedented bravery and, above all, ingenuity, preventing Russia from dominating the skies. However, the year of the war could not but affect Ukrainian aircraft: superior strength of the Russian army, “friendly fire,” destroyed airfields, and the aforementioned lack of normal repair capabilities make it to talk more loudly about the need to re-equip the...