En el escenario de la invasi\u00f3n de Rusia a Ucrania, las Defensas\u00a0A\u00e9reas de ambos pa\u00edses\u00a0se han mostrado altamente eficientes\u00a0en su misi\u00f3n de denegaci\u00f3n del dominio del espacio a\u00e9reo al enemigo. Esto ha sido particularmente grave, para las aeronaves con misiones de apoyo a\u00e9reo cercano, en las\u00a0cuales la letalidad de la defensa a\u00e9rea y antimisiles integradas adecuadamente, ha resultado extremadamente efectiva. Ambos pa\u00edses han perdido entre 60\/70 aeronaves, lo que limit\u00f3 enormemente el empleo masivo de los medios a\u00e9reos, para sostener las operaciones en tan vasto territorio. \u201cEn la lucha en Ucrania, las defensas a\u00e9reas integradas han hecho que muchas aeronaves resulten in\u00fatiles y por ello es que ellas no est\u00e1n volando en muchos lugares\u201d expres\u00f3 el Grl de la US AirForce James Hecker, durante su exposici\u00f3n en el \u201cAir and Space Force Association\u2019s Air Warfare Symposium\u201d.<\/p>\n
AIR WARFARE SYMPOSIUM \u2014 Robust Ukrainian and Russian air defenses have rendered both sides\u2019 aircraft, particularly those used for close air support missions, largely \u201cworthless\u201d in the war between the two countries, according to a top American Air Force general.<\/p>\n
About 60 Ukrainian aircraft and 70 Russian aircraft have been downed in the year since Russia launched its invasion, according to commander of US Air Forces in Europe and Africa Gen. James Hecker, a feat accomplished by the two countries\u2019 highly capable air defense systems that have left much of the battlefield airspace off limits.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth of their integrated air and missile defense, especially when you\u2019re talking about going against aircraft, have been very effective,\u201d Hecker said during a roundtable at the Air and Space Force Association\u2019s Air Warfare Symposium. \u201cAnd that\u2019s why they\u2019re not flying\u201d in many areas, he added.<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s inability to control the skies was an early surprise of the invasion that has generally persisted ever since. As such, both countries\u2019 militaries have had to adapt their tactics for close air support missions, relying more heavily on ordinance like HIMARS-launched rockets to strike ground targets. Aircraft, meanwhile, have mostly had to hang back outside the coverage of air defense systems and employ longer-range weapons, according to Hecker.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is that both of the Russian as well as the Ukrainian success in integrated air and missile defense made much of those aircraft worthless because they can\u2019t go over and do close air support,\u201d he said when asked about what might be required to reconstitute Ukraine\u2019s diminished air power.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian air defenses are composed of a hodgepodge of Soviet-era weapons and more modern Western systems supplied by countries like the US, Germany and the United Kingdom, with each requiring their own specialized training. Ukrainians decide where to position assets, Hecker said, and have been able to effectively defend their airspace despite challenges inherent in fielding several different types of weapon systems.<\/p>\n
For as effective as they\u2019ve been, Hecker admitted that America\u2019s help for Ukrainians in integrating different systems in missile and air defense is \u201cnot as well as you\u2019d [have] hoped.\u201d<\/p>\n
The US and other NATO countries have for months kicked around the idea<\/a> of sending multi-role F-16 Fighting Falcons to Ukraine, which the country hopes will join future multi-billion hardware transfers alongside other platforms like the M1 Abrams tank<\/a>. So far, the US has been reluctant<\/a> to take that step with F-16s, though the UK said it has offered <\/a>to train Ukrainian pilots on Western aircraft. Ukraine is in need of more aircraft to replenish its losses, though Hecker said their efficacy, especially in close air support roles, could be in doubt due to current air defenses.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, I don\u2019t know exactly how many they have left,\u201d Hecker said of Ukraine\u2019s total aircraft inventory, adding that a rough estimate would be about 60.<\/p>\n