«Simple and effective»
The Ukrainian command is very concerned about the use of new tactics, which began to be used by the Aerospace Forces (VKS) of Russia. This week, panic statements about the impossibility of countering Russian aviation were made simultaneously by a number of Kyiv military and politicians. To analyze the tactics of Russian aces, which frightened the enemy so much, «MK» asked the honored military pilot of Russia, ex-commander of the 16th air army, lieutenant general in the reserve Valery Retunsky.
This week, the Ukrainians seemed to break through — all of a sudden, as if on cue, they began to complain about Russian aviation. The commander of the Joint Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Naev said that the aviation and air defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are not capable of hitting enemy fighters, as they attack targets without entering the Ukrainian air defense coverage area. At the same time, the general complained, Russian bombers are flying under the cover of Su-30 and Su-35 fighters. With the help of modern on-board equipment, they see Ukrainian interceptor aircraft from afar and immediately eliminate them with “long-range” missiles. And Ukrainian air-to-air missiles cannot attack at such a great distance.
Aleksey Dmitrashkovsky, head of the joint press center of the Tauride direction of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, also spoke about the fact that the Russian Aerospace Forces changed the tactics of using aviation and drones, actually opening the hunt for Ukrainian air defense, which had not been observed before. He stated that «unlike the past tactics, when they flew one or two aircraft at different times,» now the situation has changed. “Yesterday there was teamwork: two planes lured out our air defense forces, and the third struck,” he said.
Dmitrashkovsky noted that the enemy began to use kamikaze drones differently, combining Geraniums with Lancets. The former lure anti-aircraft missile systems onto themselves, forcing the crews to turn on the emitters, and the Lancets hit open positions.
At the same time, experts from the Center for Defense Strategies of Ukraine came to a disappointing conclusion: the Russian Aerospace Forces have recently significantly increased the number used missiles Kh-59, Kh-101, Kh-555. They admitted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not have enough forces to counteract enemy aircraft and the weapons they use.
Ukrainian experts acknowledged that the Russian Aerospace Forces returned to the tactics of flying in groups of 10-20 aircraft, which at the end of March near Sumy made 116 sorties in one day, despite the fact that usually the strike group consisted of several Su-34s and Su-35s supported by a powerful EW group.
And, of course, literally everyone — both the Ukrainian military and analysts — is especially worried about the active use by the Russian Aerospace Forces of former free-falling aerial bombs of the FAB-500 type: after minor revision, they were massively turned into gliding high-precision guided munitions that can be used against enemy targets, without entering the zone of operation of its air defense.
— Tactics, as one of the components of military science, along with operational art and strategy, responds most quickly to the emergence of new types of weapons and military equipment, — explains Lieutenant General Valery Retunsky, -. In this case, with the advent of gliding munitions that can be used against objects from a long range, naturally, they led to the use of appropriate methods for the combat use of aviation. When planning aviation actions, tactical groups are included in the composition of aviation units, each of which has its own purpose.
As Retunsky said, there are groups that carry out demonstration actions so that the Ukrainian air defense responds to them, and its radars were forced to turn on for radiation in order to determine the location of the enemy. Groups are also used here, which, with their anti-radar missiles, strike at opened air defense systems. First of all, on radar stations for detecting and illuminating targets.
— Actually, there is nothing particularly new here, says Retunsky. — It's always been that way. And the fact that our aviation has now begun to use tactical groups in a complex, to carry out a single task and according to a single plan, is, of course, great. The use of aircraft not just in pairs, but the massive use of aviation, of course, is more effective. At the same time, the work of several groups, each of which performs its own tasks, is a prerequisite for achieving the desired result.
As for the tactics of using our drones, which the Ukrainians are talking about, according to Retunsky, there is also nothing fundamental here new.
— Although, I must admit, — the general believes, — it's just great that we have such drones that operate on the same principle as our planes. Some open enemy air defense facilities, while others destroy them. Simple and effective! I have no doubt that this tactic causes big problems for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.