Based on the map, it doesn’t look as if the Russians have achieved the air superiority you would have thought they would have had. The fact that NATO supplies are getting through to the Ukrainian military is evidence of Russia’s failure in this regard.
“it doesn’t look as if the Russians have achieved the air superiority”
On the West/North side of the Dniper River in Kherson, the Ukrainians seem to have Air Superiority, flying dozens of sorties per day, and shooting down some Russian aircraft each day of the current Operation there.
HARM missiles tore up Russian Air Defenses in the lead up to the offensive, additional Ukrainian Air Defense assets were reinforced, and the Ukrainian ground forces are bristling with Stingers and other Short Range Air Defense missiles.
Those Stingers are everywhere. Even where Russian Air has the relative upper hand (Donbas), they have to fly nap of the earth.
There is video proof of HARM missile’s being fired from Mig-29’s.
Those are not the only anti-radiation/anti-radar missiles in the tool box either.
The release was deliberate.
Additionally, months ago now, the UA “Snake Island” recovery involved Harpoon missiles (at least), and may also have included a couple of HARM’s.
Also related, there is footage of significantly upgraded digital avionics and targeting systems in at least 3 different UA Air Force jets.
Bottom line, if the Orc’s flip on the radar, they well be destroyed.
Not the gentile face we ha e seen knline, and exact details will not be found on the net, but the EUCOM CDR (as has the CENTCOM CDR) has gotten into a couple pretty good fights with the Pentagon in the past few months. Essentially nearly all Command CDR’s have been at least carefully pushing back against DC, and utilizing non-traditional relationships. Crazy politics going on behind the scenes. Biden is clueless.
“It doesn’t look as if the Russians have achieved the air superiority you would have thought they would have had.”
Yes, this is a lesson for us as well. A $50K SAM missile can shoot down a $50 million dollar plane. That is keeping the planes on the ground and turning this into an old fashioned artillery war.