Russia’s Inability to Achieve Air Superiority Surprises Air War Commanders

Video Above: Ukraine No Fly Zone

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

Russia’s inability to achieve air superiority still appears somewhat mysterious and unexplainable to a certain extent, given the large number of advanced fighter jets the country operates.

 Russia & Ukraine Air Superiority

A quick look at available airpower reveals that Russia operates more than 700 fighter jets as opposed to Ukraine’s reported force of roughly 64 fighters, according to Global Firepower’s formal 2022 force assessment.

There may be several variables contributing to this, perhaps the largest one simply being the intensity of Ukrainian resolve and the population’s will to fight. This now widely observed reality was succinctly explained on CNN by former Acting Director of the CIA John Edward McLaughlin who told the broadcast “It is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.”

Perhaps the kind of sheer determination unique to those defending their homeland can, to a large degree, explain Ukraine’s unanticipated warfare success on the ground and in the air. Other key factors likely pertain to their effective use of hit-and-run ground war tactics such as ambushes on convoys with anti-armor weapons and well-executed efforts to shut down key intersections, bridges and more narrowly configured passageways. 

Ukraine’s success in the air is harder to explain, although the Pentagon has said their assessment is that Russia has only been using a small number of its available force.