The Ukrainian Air Force had flown more than 14,000 combat air sorties, including close-air support missions, since Russia’s invasion began on February 24, 2022.
Citing a report from the Ukrainian Air Force, Militarnyi reported that Ukraine’s combat aircraft target enemy command posts and warehouses, intercept enemy planes and helicopters and shoot down drones and missiles used by the Russian Federation to attack Ukraine.
“Since the Russian large-scale invasion, the aviation of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has carried out more than 14,000 combat sorties. 6,000 of them were for combat defeat of the enemy, and about 7,000 were for air cover,” said Brigadier General Serhiy Golubtsov, head of aviation of the AFU Air Force Command.
Golubtsov also said that during the full-scale war with Russia, dozens of pilots became Heroes of Ukraine, and hundreds of aviators received high state awards.
Thanks to support from allied nations that provide military assistance to Ukraine to counter Russia, Ukrainian aircraft have been adapted to use foreign weapons, including AGM-88 HARM, JDAM, Storm Shadow and SCALP EG cruise missiles.