While Russian pilots were managing to support land operations in the south of Ukraine, they were doing so "without decisive operational effect," the British Ministry of Defense said in its daily intelligence update on Monday.

To compensate, Russia was sending adapted free-fall bombs into Ukrainian territory. However, these had "yet to demonstrate consistent accuracy," it added.

"Over the summer, Russian tactical combat aircraft have typically carried out over 100 sorties a day, but these are almost always restricted to operating over Russian-controlled territory due to the threat from Ukrainian air defenses," the update said.

...

Neither Russia nor Ukraine has been able to gain air superiority in the war so far despite Russia's vastly larger air force. But a military expert previously told Insider that the "advantage is with defense."

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[–] interolivary@beehaw.org 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Honestly I was expecting the headline to go in a totally different direction, something like "Russia's air force is barely able to leave its own airspace because of poor maintenence, parts and munitions shortages, and widespread alcoholism among flight crews".

Considering they've resorted to lobbing glide-modified free fall bombs, I wouldn't be surprised if some of this actually was due to stockpiles getting so low that they can't use guided munitions for anything but very high value targets (such as maternity hospitals and residential buildings)

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk -4 points 2 years ago (4 children)

Actually, it's cheaper to use empty old aircraft to bomb places than it is to shoot down said aircraft. It's a tactic to waste the anti air defence.

[–] interolivary@beehaw.org 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Ah yes, the Russian master strategists who are already running into serious issues with their airframe lifetimes and lack of experienced pilots are now flying sorties with unguided munitions because they want to get shot down.

No, a plane - including wear and tear on the airframe & power plant if it doesn't get itself tactically shot down to "waste enemy AD resources" - and a pilot are absolutely not worth less than a few air defense missiles. And no, they're not using "empty" planes

[–] Alto@kbin.social 2 points 2 years ago (3 children)

What're the vatniks gonna say next?

"Actually, it's cheaper to send underequiped mobniks into battle than it is to shoot them. It's a tactic to waste Ukrainian small arms ammunition"

[–] interolivary@beehaw.org 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

"They're doing it on purpose" has to be my #1 favorite excuse for Russia's poor performance. Like, it acknowledges that something seemingly non-optimal is happening, but turns out it's actually some sort of wildly ingenious plan that only looks stupid.

Still waiting for those super duper secret reserve elite troops with 999999999 T-14s and Su-57s to show up and mop the floor with the Ukrainians, like I've been promised for way too long now

[–] HubertManne@kbin.social 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

5 or 6 d chess. They might even go to 7 if they have to. there is no limit.

[–] interolivary@beehaw.org 1 points 2 years ago

Hyperdimensional Snakes and ladders

[–] skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

then you get shit like this happening https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/15kqp0n/russian_troop_firing_an_rpg_forgets_about_back/

[–] Alto@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Y'know, I've never shot an RPG. Hell, I'm a pretty shit American, I've never shot anything more powerful than an air rifle.

I'm pretty sure even I wouldn't do that.

[–] skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 years ago

now consider that it's one of most popular antitank weapons in the world, and primary one of that army, and it's used all the time because it's active frontline. i don't know how this happens

[–] HubertManne@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

to be fair this one sounds more believable.

[–] Primarily0617@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

a pilot is more valuable than any AA missile

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Just bail out with a parachute

[–] Primarily0617@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

the missile launches a second, smaller, parachute-seeking missile

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 0 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Then take off the parachute and use a bucket of water

[–] Primarily0617@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

but now you're all wet, and which is really the worse fate here?

[–] tal@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

I'm open to the general idea that maybe it's hard to put an exact price tag on aircraft in Russia's specific situation -- I mean, maybe nobody is in the market for Russian military aircraft these days or something and if Russia doesn't intend to use them for something else, maybe you could make some kind of argument that the value is much-lower than one might expect.

But in general, I think that it's generally pretty hard to argue that a manned fighter jet is a good trade for a surface-to-air-missile.

[–] skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 2 years ago

soviet union was preparing for war against NATO. as such, they have seen how important air assets were in vietnam war and especially later in desert storm, so they made sure they have loads of SAMs to negate this advantage. both Ukraine and russia draw from these stockpiles making air dominance impossible for either side, airspace is simply denied in all important sectors

[–] Limitless_screaming@kbin.social 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

{generic propaganda} side A says. side B denies all claims and says {propaganda}.

[–] glimpseintotheshit@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Except this is UK intelligence, not side A or B

[–] mihies@kbin.social 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Lol, UK is 105% on certain side to which it provides all kind of support.

[–] glimpseintotheshit@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 years ago

Of course they are "on a certain side". But the assumption that the british ministry of defense is spewing ukrainian propaganda instead of sharing their observations is total bullshit, which i was referring to.

[+] traveler01@lemdro.id -7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 7 points 2 years ago (2 children)

On paper they're well equipped. But Russia is a country that basically operates on corruption, everyone is on the take, so by the time the resources finally get to the military personnel they've gone through several thieving hands and pretty much everything of value has disappeared. And you could say that many Western democracies are equally as corrupt, but they're not, they may skim a little off the top but they're not stupid enough to steal from their own military.

No one tells Putin this of course because they're terrified of him, so he starts operating on the assumption that the military have certain resources that are simply not present.

[–] interolivary@beehaw.org 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

People really don't appreciate the depth of the corruption and grift in Russia. In the military (and not just there, mind you) every level participates in it: they sell the gear they're assigned if they ever get it in the first place, lie about the number of people in command so they'll get a higher budget which will get embezzled, lie about training their unit because training is hard work and they might not actually have the personnel for it, steal from either the others in their unit or from the ones under their command, and so on and so on. Add to that the absolutely insane violence they subject each other to that kills and drives to suicide hundreds per year (dedovshchina) and it paints an extremely Russian picture. It's a great and developed country on paper, but there's a reason why so many countries surrounding them hate their guts and thinks they're generally untrustworthy and violent