Summary

  • Ukraine used drones to destroy Russian Knights Russian Su-27 at airbase.
  • Up to three Flanker-family aircraft destroyed or damaged at base.
  • Russia has lost over 100 aircraft in the Full-scale war.

Satellite images show Ukraine used drones to destroy a Sukhoi Su-27 Russian Knights aerobatic jet (NATO reporting name Flanker) on the ground last Sunday. The Russian Knights are the aerobatic demonstration team of the Russian Air Force (something similar to the famous British Red Arrows). Russia puts a good deal of emphasis on its military parades, especially the May 9 Victory parades. The Russian Knights (or Русские Витязи/Russkie Vityazi) is one of the most common sights during these important events.

Ukraine destroys up to three aircraft at airbase

According to open-source analysis of satellite imagery, Ukraine launched a successful attack on the Russian Kushchyovskaya Air Base in the Krasnodar Oblast in southern Russia (located between Ukraine and Georgia). Outgunned, Ukraine has had to get creative in tackling the Russian threat with increasingly sophisticated and long-range drones.

 Sukhoi SU-27 jet fighter of Russian Knights aerobatics flying

The satellite images were taken on May 23 and show the aftermath of the Ukrainian strikes on the night of the 19th. From the imagery, it appears one Su-27 was destroyed and a Su-34 was heavily damaged. It also appears an Su-30 was also damaged as it hadn’t moved since May 11 and was close to the destroyed Su-27. Satellite imagery clearly shows the Su-27 painted in the livery of the Russian Knights aerobatic demonstration team of the Russian Air Force. The Su-30 and Su-34 are both variants of the Su-27 Flanker family of fighter jets.

During the night of the attack, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that 57 Ukrainians had been shot down over Russia. However, it would appear that at least a few of the Ukrainian drones struck home and destroyed their high-value targets.

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Russian Knights & past accidents

The Russian Knights were formed in 1991 (following the collapse of the USSR) and now consist of a team of eight modern Su-30SMs (it is unclear if the older Su-27s are still used). Ironically, their first performance outside Russia was when they toured Great Britain in 1991.

Russian Knights Performing early evening

This isn’t the first time the Russian Knights have lost aircraft. In 1995, three jets flew in formation into a mountainside in bad weather in Vietnam. Two Su-27s were lost in 2009 when they collided near Moscow during rehearsals, while another crashed in 2016 near Moscow. Pilots were killed on all three occasions.

Russia is confirmed to have lost over 100 fixed-wing aircraft and almost 150 helicopters since the beginning of the full-scale war in 2022 (actual losses could be considerably higher). This has been a painful blow to the Russian Air Force, but it is likely one they can sustain for a long time, and many of its losses would have been made up with new production. However, this was the first known Russian Knight aircraft to be destroyed.

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