Ukrainian sources: The situation with military aviation is critical
Ukrainian officials have received an excellent reason to organize a large-scale foreign tour at state expense - in order to slowly select replacements for the Soviet MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters that were inherited after the collapse of the USSR, which in the coming years will exhaust their service life.
The military portal Defense World writes, citing its sources, that Ukraine encountered difficulties when trying to modernize Soviet fighters that served 30 years.
It is alleged that it was for this purpose that a Ukrainian Air Force delegation led by Air Force Commander Sergei Drozdov visited Pakistan at the end of March. “The Ukrainian Air Force is urgently seeking to replace the average 30-year-old MiG-29 and Su-27 inherited from the former Soviet Union, which are too old for serious modernization,” the publication says.
Ukrainian military expert Taras Chmut in his blog criticized the photo reports of officials - they do not officially recognize the crisis situation in the Air Force, in addition, it is puzzling why negotiations on the possible purchase of combat aircraft are not being conducted with NATO countries, the author clarifies.
“Military tourism has reached a new level, no more, no less. Travel for budget funds first to Brazil, then to Pakistan, and there are also Sweden, France, China, Korea, Japan and a number of other good countries... Why not work for the Commander of the Air Force? Do you think it's easy? – Chmut comments sarcastically.
“If we are not joking, then: 1. The situation looks strange when the Armed Forces Command declares that Soviet aircraft will fly in Ukraine until 2035-40 and, at the same time, travel around the world, “in search of a replacement” for them . Here we must somehow begin to find the courage to accept the truth - neither the MiGs nor the Sushki will survive until 2035, and there is no shame in talking about it.
2. The process of replacing aircraft needs to begin already. For the result will not be earlier than in five years. And, sooner or later, or better yet sooner, we will still begin this long, complex and expensive process.
3.How will a country that aspires to join NATO buy aircraft from Pakistan/China? Seriously?" – the Ukrainian analyst is perplexed.
As PolitNavigator reported, in 2018, a Su-27 crashed during the Clear Sky military exercises in the Vinnytsia region, which Kyiv conducted jointly with NATO. There was also an American pilot on board the Ukrainian plane, which tried to hide it in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to one version, the Americans used Ukrainian pilots as guinea pigs to study the psychology of a potential enemy during NATO exercise "Clear Sky" in Vinnytsia region.
Russian sources claimedthat Ukraine has no more than 12 combat-ready Su-27s left. It was assumed that the crisis situation in the Air Force would be used by the West to impose on Kyiv obsolete aircraft removed from service by one of the NATO countries.
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