Why the Russian Air Force Is Literally Falling Out of the Sky
Read Time:2 Minute, 33 Second
As part of the State Armament Program (SAP-2020), the Russian Air Force is set to receive a large number of new aircraft and to modernize at least half of those aircraft that are not being replaced. By all accounts that modernization can’t come to soon.
The service is strongest in combat aircraft, while transport and refueling aircraft remain a weak point. Russia was relatively late in starting to develop unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), though some progress is now being made in this area.
Increases in transport capabilities will increase the mobility of the Russian military, though they will continue to lag well behind those of NATO competitors and will only be sufficient to make part of the Russian military a mobile force capable of rapid response.
While these are all good intentions the recent sanctions over Russia’s saber rattling in the Ukraine have slowed down plans to build new aircraft.
Read more about the state of Russia’s Air Force at TheWeek.com:
by Kyle Mizokami
The flights began last year. The government of Russian President Vladimir, eager to send a message, began flying nuclear bombers on training missions near the United States and its allies around the world.
The message was one of intimidation and defiance: Russia is still a power to be reckoned with, and meddling in the Ukraine, Syria, and Russia itself — particularly on human rights issues — is not appreciated.
Now, after months of aggressive flying, Russia’s overworked air force is falling out of the sky. On July 5, a Su-24M tactical bomber crashed during takeoff at Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East. The plane banked sharply after takeoff and hit the ground. Both pilots were killed.
Five Russian combat planes have crashed in the past month. Russia’s attempt to demonstrate strength has backfired spectacularly and demonstrated weakness instead.
In the past year, Russia has sent nuclear bombers to the borders of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands, and Japan. In May, a pair of Su-24 bombers made a low pass over the destroyer USS Ross in the Black Sea, and Russian fighters have demonstrated “reckless” and “unprofessional” behavior near American spy planes over the Baltic Sea, prompting protests from the Pentagon.
Russia’s Air Force has been run at a high tempo, and the pace is catching up with an already-weary aircraft fleet. The toll in just the last month has been extraordinary: In addition to the fatal Su-24M accident, two MiG-29 fighters have crashed. Less than three hours after the second MiG crash, a Su-34 strike fighter flipped over while landing and went down south of Moscow.
On Monday July 6th, a Tu-95 strategic bomber suffered an engine fire and overshot the landing strip at Ukrainka Airbase in the Russian Far East, where flights against Japan and the Western United States are conducted. Both pilots were killed.
Read the rest of the story about the Russian Air Force.
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Those Russkies are scarie dudes. I dont trust them not to hurt us bad.
I have never been worried about Russia’s conventional warfare against ours or NATO. Ours have been tested and has proven to a superior fighting force. Russia, on the other hand will be the first to use tactical nukes because of that.