Ukraine's waning air power: Su‑27 losses amid western support

Ukraine's capability to replenish these aircraft is non-existent, as spare parts are produced solely by Russia and China, and available machines are in countries that are, at best, neutral towards Ukraine. However, the most crucial element of the downed aircraft, the pilot, survived and will potentially return to action in due course.

According to a statement from the Ukrainian aviation on Telegram on April 28, 2025, the aircraft was on a mission to repel a Russian air assault. It remains unknown whether it lost an aerial battle with a Russian counterpart or was shot down by Russian or Ukrainian air defence. It is worth noting that "friendly fire" has resulted in several losses on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides.

Fortunately, the pilot managed to eject safely and was swiftly found by a search and rescue team and transported to the hospital. There is a possibility that, in time, the pilot will return to combat, potentially at the controls of an F-16 or Mirage 2000, as pilot training continues intensively.

The Su-27 fighter jet, designed by the Sukhoi design bureau, first took to the skies in May 1977. It was the Soviet counterpart to the American F-15 fighter jets, resulting in a heavy twin-engine machine with an empty weight of approximately 16,000 kilograms and a take-off weight of around 30,000 kilograms.

A substantial portion of the weight stemmed from the fuel reserve in the internal tanks, which totalled about 9,500 kilograms. The armament, which could be placed on 10 pylons, weighed approximately 4,500 kilograms. Consequently, the Su-27 had a significantly greater operational range than MiGs, reaching about 3,500 kilometres, and an altitude ceiling of up to 18,900 metres.

The combination of excellent aerodynamics and a maximum speed of Mach 2.35 made it the most formidable aircraft NATO pilots could encounter during the Cold War. After the dissolution of the USSR, these aircraft ended up in countries like China, where they were copied and put into service as the J-11. Meanwhile, the Russians continued to develop the Su-27 design, creating models such as the Su-30, Su-34, and Su-35, which found buyers in countries reluctant to purchase American aircraft, mainly in Africa and some Asian countries.

The Su-27's armament primarily included short-range air-to-air missiles Vympel R-73 and outdated medium-range R-27 missiles, as well as aerial bombs weighing up to 500 kilograms and rocket launchers. However, the key weapon of the Su-27 was the Vympel R-77 medium-range missile, developed towards the end of the USSR, with a range of up to about 80 kilometres, conceptually similar to the AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, hence its nickname Amraamski.

It was the first Soviet/Russian air-to-air missile with an active radar homing head of the "fire and forget" type, which could track a target independently from a distance of about 20 kilometres, thanks to its onboard radar. Ukraine had an unknown number of these missiles, and the Artem plant in Kyiv possessed some of their design plans as a co-designer.

Ukrainian Su-27s, although few in number, have been integrated with Western weapons. Ukrainians, through improvisation, managed to incorporate the Su-27 with Western armament, as evidenced by recordings showing the use of, among others, anti-radiation missiles AGM-88 HARM and guided bombs JDAM-ER. It is worth noting that Ukraine probably has a minimal number of Su-27s still capable of flight.

Before the war, Ukraine had just over 30 of these aircraft, of which at least 17 have been destroyed, including the one mentioned. A significant proportion of the remaining ones may have been taken out of service due to wear and tear and issues with spare parts.