Ukraine can counteract Russia's new guided bombs: Air Force explains how

Ilia Yevlash, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, said this during a telethon.

"There is a way to counter these bombs. But, of course, we need to work with the carrier. This will be most effective in this situation," he said.

According to the spokesperson, the Russians are launching guided munitions from Su aircraft. Although they are afraid to fly closer after the recent targeting of Su aircraft, the threat remains.

"To effectively counter such threats, we need to deploy more Western-style air defense systems. Unfortunately, we are not yet able to produce them on our territory," noted Yevlash.

Su-35 and the airplane crashes in Ukraine 

In February, the Ukrainian Air Force shot down 13 Russian warplanes, the best result since October 2022, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported. Two Su-35s were among the targeted aircraft, but five times as many Su-34s were shot down - 10.

Defense Express explained that although both modifications are Su-27-based aircraft, they have completely different chances of surviving an encounter with Patriot missiles. 

"When the aircraft is at altitude and at cruising speed, to evade the missile, you need to perform a maneuver - dive down with a maximum speed departure and break the distance in afterburner mode. In this situation, it really counts for seconds and much depends on the aircraft itself, its maneuverability and permitted overload," the experts explain.

Nevertheless, since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian forces have already lost at least a dozen Su-35s. The first two were shot down near Izium in the spring of 2022, and the third in the summer near Nova Kakhovka. 

In 2023, Russia lost five Su-35 fighters. One of them was shot down over the territory of the Bryansk region on May 13, which was then called the "black day of Russian aviation." In the same month, one of the planes, which had been conducting bombing strikes, was destroyed over the Black Sea. Two more Su-35s were destroyed by Russian air defense.

In February, two Su-35 fighter jets were shot down by the Ukrainian Armed Forces over three days - on February 17 over Donetsk region and on February 19 over the Black Sea. Mariupol Mayor's advisor Petro Andriushchenko posted a video from the occupied village of Rybatske, where the tail section of a Su-35 was lying in the water. According to intercepted conversations with Russian rescuers, the pilot of this aircraft was lying "face down in the water."