British intelligence identifies reason for low efficiency of Russian aviation

The UK Ministry of Defense reported the information.

According to the ministry, during the summer, Russian tactical combat aircraft usually carried out over 100 sorties a day, but mostly over Russian-controlled territory due to the threat from Ukrainian air defense.

According to British intelligence, Russia has been trying to overcome this problem by increasingly using basic free-fall bombs with range-extending warheads. These aircraft can drop these bombs many kilometers from their targets, but they have yet to demonstrate consistent accuracy.

The British Ministry of Defense recalls that since the beginning of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in June 2023, Russian attack helicopters have proven to be effective. However, in recent weeks, Russia seems to have been less able to effectively use tactical aircraft in the south.

• In February, the British Ministry of Defense believed that Russia would not resort to massive use of aviation during a new offensive because of the high risk of its destruction.

• As early as May 21, British intelligence noted that due to the massive destruction of drones by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russian aviation minimized the number of flights over Ukraine.

• And in June, the UK Ministry of Defense attributed the increase in the number of combat sorties by Russian tactical aviation to the Ukrainian counteroffensive.