'Completely different technological level': Expert on downing of Su-30 over Black Sea
Photo: Expert on the downing of the Su-30 over the Black Sea (Russian Ministry of Defense)
The downing of two Russian Su-30 fighter jets over the Black Sea was a demonstration of the new quality of Ukraine's strike capabilities. This indicates a technological breakthrough by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, states aviation expert Kostiantyn Kryvolap in a comment to the RBC-Ukraine YouTube channel.
"The downing of two Su-30s in the Black Sea showed that we are at completely different technological levels. Our operations in Yelabuga, our strikes on other targets, we can list them for quite a while. The super-protected Engels-2 airfield, which was simply destroyed. This is all from the same song, and the song is called a different technological level," stated the expert.
He added that Ukraine is attacking the enemy not with large, noisy bombers, but with "tiny drones at high speeds," which give it a significant advantage.
"These little fat drones with their own 250-kilogram bombs come in. This small workshop in Yelabuga, something happened to it. It will be interesting to see how long they can restore it. We'll see," Kryvolap said.
Historical event
According to the expert, specialists are not exaggerating when they say that the downing of two Russian Su-30s by Ukraine is a historical and extraordinary event.
"I believe these are appropriate comparisons. Why? Because the whole world, not just the Russians, was shown a completely different technological level of conducting combat operations and the tactical use of the capabilities we have," the expert noted.
The first serious test of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' new technological capabilities took place near Crimea when two Russian helicopters were destroyed on December 31 of the previous year, Kryvolap explained.
However, in his opinion, the Russian forces did not understand the warning at that time. Although they lost two helicopters, they did not learn from it.
Well-planned operation
"This time, they decided to use Su-30 SM. It's a special assault squadron. They don't really protect themselves, they have so much weaponry that they act like predators, destroying everything, tearing everything apart. But it turned out that they were the victims, not the predators," Kryvolap noted.
He added that this was a brilliantly planned operation, where the Russian forces detected a Ukrainian drone but lacked the proper means to strike it effectively.
"They tried to hit our boat near Zmiinyi Island using fighter jets. The boat was maneuvering. On the Su-30, there are two pilots — one maneuvers, and the other deals with the weapons. But it didn’t help them; they couldn’t hit us, and we got away. So, it’s a different technological level," the expert pointed out.
But what struck him the most was Russia's reaction to the downing of their two planes, which once again revealed the true face of the enemy.
"You know what surprised me the most in this story? It’s the Russian reaction to the attack, that Ukrainians observed the two pilots being rescued after ejecting and didn’t destroy them. The Russians say, 'We would have definitely destroyed them.' But the Ukrainians, well, they seem either intellectual or civilized people," Kryvolap concluded.
Downing of the Su-30
On May 2, Ukrainian forces downed two Russian Su-30s over the Black Sea.
Ukrainian scouts shot down the two multi-role Su-30 Flanker fighter jets using air-to-air missiles with infrared guidance, the AIM-9 Sidewinder.
This marks the first instance of fighter jets being downed by unmanned surface vessels, and the first use of AIM-9 missiles from an unmanned vessel to destroy an enemy target.
Defense Intelligence used three Magura V7 unmanned surface vessels in the attack, two of which fired at the planes. The crew of the first Su-30 survived and was rescued by a civilian vessel in the Black Sea. According to preliminary reports, the crew of the second aircraft was killed.
