Russia lost 90 aircraft since the beginning of war – UK intelligence

Since February 2022, the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) have lost about 90 aircraft in combat. The service life of the remaining ones is expiring much faster than planned.

This was reported by the UK Ministry of Defense on Twitter.

As noted in the report, some types of combat aircraft are flying much more intensively than in peacetime. All aircraft have an estimated service life in flight hours. It is likely that due to this additional wartime use, the service life of many aircraft is expiring much faster than the Russian VKS planned.

According to British intelligence, the need for additional maintenance is compounded by a lack of spare parts due to growing demand and international sanctions.

At the same time, the VKS retains the ability to increase the number of combat missions over the occupied territory of Ukraine.

"However, as the war continues much longer than the Russian Ministry of Defence originally planned for, wear and tear of airframes is likely to have reduced the viability of the VKS’s long-term tactical air power," the British Ministry of Defense notes.

Author – Anastasiya Glotova, 28/09/2023