Ukrainian Air Force alarmed by Russia's intense use of guided bombs – spokesman
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Russian guided aerial bombs have recently become a "real issue" for Ukraine, as pilots drop bombs from aircraft on Ukrainian positions and frontline areas, says the Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat.
The colonel noted that six months ago, the launches of guided aerial bombs were rare. However, now the occupants can drop up to a hundred in a day, especially in the south of Ukraine.
"The bomb flies imprecisely, but it is a 500 kg shell. There is a lot of explosives there, and they take massive strikes. There were already about a hundred bombs dropped per day. Therefore, this is a real problem, and we are not just telling citizens," noted Ihnat.
Russian forces drop these bombs on frontline territories, so that the aircraft cannot fly into the area of Ukrainian air defense.
"We shoot down attack aircraft and helicopters, such as Ka-52 and Mi-24, as soon as they enter the range of our air defense. The enemy is taking advantage of the fact that air defense cannot reach the long distance from which Su-35 and Su-34 guided bombs are dropped, which is 50-70 kilometers behind the combat line," the spokesman explained.
The long-expected F-16 fighter jet that Ukraine will receive from its partners can help in the fight against guided bombs, Ihnat believes. These aircraft can effectively destroy Russian fighters.
"This is a message to our Western partners that we need weapons, long-range air defense systems and F-16s as soon as possible, which could counter Russian aircraft," added the Air Force spokesman.
Ihnat also explained that without air control, it is very difficult for Ukrainian soldiers to conduct counter-offensive operations at the front. As soon as they acquite F-16 fighters, Russia will lose its air superiority.
On August 20, the Netherlands and Denmark reached an agreement to provide Ukraine with F-16s after training Ukrainian pilots. The state will receive 42 American F-16 fighters from the Netherlands and 19 from Denmark. On September 15, Belgium joined the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s.
On November 7, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the first five F-16s for training pilots from Ukraine, which were previously sent by the Netherlands, had already arrived at a training center in Romania.
Previously, Pentagon reported the United States has begun training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.
