![]() ![]() Storm Shadow and its French and German cousins have armed Tornado bombers and Mirage 2000, Rafale and Eurofighter fighters. The missile is highly-autonomous-and thus adaptable to a wide range of aircraft types. The $1-million-plus Storm Shadow is a good match for the Ukrainian air force. ![]() defense minister Ben Wallace signed the photo to “all the brave ‘few’ who risk all for the glory of Ukraine.” A nod to the brave few Royal Air Force pilots who defended Great Britain from the German Blitz during World War II. A photo of a photo that Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov posted on Wednesday depicts the Su-24MR with the nose number “yellow 60” taking off with a Storm Shadow under its right shoulder. ![]() London in mid-May confirmed it had given Kyiv Storm Shadows and modified existing Ukrainian planes to launch the 17-foot missiles with their 1,000-pound warheads. government decided, back in February, that it would supply the Ukraine government with its first air-launched cruise missiles, the 7th Bomber Regiment’s Su-24s-specifically, the Su-24MRs-were obvious candidates for carrying the munitions. Technicians have been fixing up these old jets in order to keep the 7th Bomber Regiment in the war. ![]() Luckily for the 7th Bomber Regiment, there were up to 47 old Su-24 airframes in storage across Ukraine, many of them at the aircraft boneyard in Bila Tserkva near Kyiv. It’s unclear how many of the other 16 losses involved recon variants. We know for sure the Russians shot down one Su-24MR and killed its two crew over Poltava Oblast in central Ukraine back in October. Victims of Russian air-defense missiles, mostly. In a year and three months, the regiment has written off at least 17 Su-24s. 24, 2022.Īll the pre-war bombers and recon planes-as many as 16 of the former and nine of the latter-belonged to the 7th Bomber Regiment at Starokostiantyniv air base. The Ukrainian air force had as few as 21, and as many as 25, Sukhoi Su-24M bombers and Su-24MR reconnaissance planes when Russian forces widened their war on Ukraine starting in the early morning hours of Feb. Perhaps for the Su-24 crews to finish plucking at Russian supply lines with their fancy new missiles. Fresh brigades equipped with Western-made tanks and fighting vehicles are in place. Ukraine’s long-anticipated 2023 offensive hasn’t yet begun. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |