Russia’s Mighty Su-57 Fifth Generation Fighter Jet Minor Factor in Russia Ukraine War

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

The Pentagon says the airspace above Ukraine in the Russia Ukraine war is still contested several months into the war, likely leading many to wonder why? A simple look at global firepower will show the Russians operate more than 770 fighter jets, compared to Ukraine 69 or so. That’s a glaring, massive deficit.

So why aren’t the Russians able to achieve air superiority? A number of key variables to look at, with one is simply the effectiveness of Ukrainian air defenses.

“We know the air defenses are having an impact because of the kinds of flight profiles they are flying. Most of their sorties never leave Russian airspace,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Video Above: With a Seemingly Massive Fighter Jet Advantage, Russia Can’t Achieve Air Superiority over Ukraine

Ukraine reportedly operates SA-15 Gauntlet Soviet-era air defense systems as well as Russian built S-300s. The Pentagon says these air defenses are being used in a very tactically adept and effective way. Modern air defenses these days have digital processors, better networking, longer range, they can connect with other systems across a wider envelope of defensive area. They also can detect a wider sphere of frequencies, making them more effective.

This might be part of the story because Russia pretty much operates a fourth generation fleet, which is Su-30s Su-35 and MIGs. However sophisticated these aircraft are, they may still be vulnerable to air defenses in part because they lack stealth.