Three Russian Su-34 jets could have been destroyed by ambush — aviation expert
Valeriy Romanenko, a leading researcher at the State Aviation Museum, believes that the Russian aircraft were targeted by the Patriot or SAMP/T system, which has a range of 160 km and 150 km for aerodynamic targets
He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.
"I do not know how this outstanding result was achieved. However, the media reports that a few days ago we received the second German Patriot air defense system, which has a range of 160 km against aerodynamic targets. In addition, we also have the Italian-French SAMP/T system, which also has a range of about 150 kilometers against aerodynamic targets. I think that one of these systems worked to ambush Russian aircraft that brazenly tried to bomb Ukrainian ground troops again," the aviation expert commented.
According to him, at the beginning of the war, the Russian forces had 140 such aircraft. Last year, they lost about a dozen Su-34s, and in 2023, 4 were hit, and another one crashed.
"As for the pace of construction, in 2022 they built about 6-8 Su-34s and the same number this year. Why are the numbers not so accurate? Because the Russians do not disclose the number of aircraft now, but only show their transfer, inviting journalists. As a rule, they film the aircraft without onboard and registration numbers, so it is difficult to understand how many aircraft were handed over each time," explained Valeriy Romanenko.
- On December 22, the Ukrainian military downed three Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers in the south.
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