Summary
- Ukraine’s Air Force operates a diverse fleet with fighter jets like MiG-29s and Su-27s, complemented by ground attack jets like Su-24s and Su-25s.
- Incoming F-16s from Western allies will provide Ukraine’s Air Force with a strategic advantage and enhance its combat capabilities.
- In addition to fighter jets, the Ukrainian Air Force also operates various fixed-wing aircraft for reconnaissance, transport, and multiple helicopters.
Among the world’s dozens of combat air forces, Ukraine’s has consistently been under the international spotlight over the past few years amid an ongoing war with Russia. The organization, which has been engaged in combat with the Russian Aerospace Forces, operates dozens of fighter jets alongside an impressive fleet of support aircraft.
The Ukrainian Air Force has even made the headlines more recently as American-built General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon jets are set to enter service with the organization over the coming months. These jets will join an impressive system that is primarily composed of ex-Soviet and Ukrainian-built fighters, all of which serve their own unique roles.
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Furthermore, the organization also operates dozens of additional fixed-wing aircraft, which serve impressive roles that differ from reconnaissance to transport, as well as a number of different helicopters. In this article, we will take a deeper look at the operational capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force and the fighter jets it operates.
Combat aircraft
As with almost all international aerial fighting forces, the backbone of the Ukrainian Air Force is undoubtedly its fighter jets, of which it operates over 100, with dozens more on the way from Western allies this summer. These jets primarily include ex-Soviet planes, which range from multirole fighters to close air support and dedicated ground attack aircraft. The complete breakdown of the organization’s inventory can be seen in the table below:
|
Aircraft type: |
Number in fleet: |
|---|---|
|
Mikoyan MiG-29 |
55 |
|
Sukhoi Su-24 |
14 |
|
Sukhoi Su-25 |
20 |
|
Sukhoi Su-27 |
30 |
The backbone of this fighter fleet, as the table above shows, is the 55 Soviet-built MiG-29 fighters. These jets were originally designed by the Mikoyan Design Bureau as dedicated air superiority fighters during the 1970s and were developed to counter new US fighter jets like the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle.
Photo: JetKat | Shutterstock
The aircraft first entered service with the Soviet Air Forces in 1983. The organization did not always have such a large fleet of MiG-29 aircraft, as 29 units were donated to the force by Slovakia and Poland in 2023 following Russia’s invasion, according to Forbes.
The other major Soviet-built fighter operated by the organization is the Sukhoi Su-27, a twin-engine supermaneuverable supersonic aircraft built alongside the MiG-29. Designed by manufacturer Sukhoi, the aircraft was also meant to combat fourth-generation Western fighters like the F-15 and the Grumman F-14 Tomcat.
The jet boasted a heavy ordinance package and advanced avionics and could be optimized for almost any kind of mission. According to FlightGlobal, six of these MiG-29 jets have been converted to trainer aircraft.
The Sukhoi Su-24 and the Su-25 are both ground attack/close air support jets designed in the former Soviet Union. The Su-24 is an all-weather tactical bomber with twin engines and supersonic capabilities, alongside an impressive integrated digital navigation and attack system. The aircraft is operated by a crew of two, unusually seated in a side-by-side configuration. The Su-25 dubbed the “Frogfoot,” is a unique subsonic single-seat close-air support aircraft that was originally designed to assist Soviet Ground Forces.
Incoming F-16s
The United States and other Western allies have been quick to provide the Ukrainian Air Force with extensive support throughout the conflict with Russia, and the advent of new F-16 fighters will undoubtedly bring a key strategic advantage to the organization. According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, pilot training for Ukrainian F-16 pilots has been underway for months now, with the 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard leading the initiative.
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Up to 61 F-16 highly-maneuverable multirole combat fighters are scheduled to enter service with the organization by the end of 2024. According to a statement from the Pentagon this past February, Denmark initially donated these aircraft, and other allies soon followed.
Photo: Mike Mareen | Shutterstock
The conflict in Ukraine has proven to be one of the first major modern conflicts in which both sides are armed with most of the same aircraft. As a result, both air forces are extremely familiar with each other’s equipment, something the F-16 would change. Furthermore, F-16s have already proven their effectiveness in Eastern Europe, scoring key aerial victories during the Banja Luka Incident amid NATO’s Operation Deny Flight in the Balkans.
Other equipment
The operational capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force are undoubtedly not just limited to their fighter jets. For starters, the organization operates three Antonov An-30 reconnaissance aircraft, which were designed in the 1960s for aerial cartography and intelligence gathering. Furthermore, a number of transport aircraft are also employed, including all the following planes:
- Antonov An-26
- Antonov An-70
- Antonov An-178
- Ilyushin Il-76
The first three of these aircraft were designed by former Soviet and current Ukrainian manufacturer Antonov, which is notable for producing some of the world’s largest freighters, like the An-124 and the now-destroyed Antonov An-225. The organization also operates multiple Ilyushin Il-76 jets, which are four-engine strategic airlifters designed in the Soviet Union in the early 1970s.
Other aircraft in the Ukrainian Air Force’s inventory include multiple Russian-built helicopters, including 15 Mil Mi-8s and 25 Mil Mi-17s. In 2022, the United States donated a number of Mi-17s to the organization, which it had previously purchased for the former Afghan government prior to the Taliban’s 2021 takeover.
Lastly, the organization also operates 44 Czechoslovakian-built Aero L-39 trainer aircraft alongside multiple different unmanned aerial vehicles. These include over 70 US-built RQ-11 surveillance drones and a handful of Turkish-built Bayrajtar TB2 combat drones.