Guided bombs can be combated only by suppressing Russia's tactical aircraft – Ihnat
The number of guided bombs fired by the enemy at Ukraine is growing, however, it is possible to combat them only by suppressing operations of Russia's tactical aircraft, Spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force Yuriy Ihnat has said.
"The number of guided bombs fired by the enemy is increasing. The enemy does not use conventional free-fall bombs due to the fact that the Air Force controls the sky in the government-controlled territory... Therefore, the enemy uses guided bombs. With these aerial bombs, they [the enemy forces] are able to strike remotely, approximately at a distance of 50 kilometers from the combat line or the state border," he said at a press briefing hosted by the Ukraine Media Center on Monday.
Ihnat said that such bombs often do not reach the target as long as "the enemy sets the goal of defeat by quantity rather than quality."
"Six months ago we saw single application of such bombs from Su-34, Su-35 aircraft, mainly in Beryslav district, Kherson region, while today we can see the use of these bombs virtually along the entire combat line. Dozens, more than fifty bombs a day fly at the positions of Ukrainian soldiers," he said.
According to the Air Force spokesperson, it is possible to fight guided bombs only by suppressing the activities of tactical aviation – Su-34, Su-35, auxiliary aircraft, and helicopters.
"We are unlikely to be able to fight bombs. Of course, you can try to knock them down, but this will not lead to the desired results. There are certain objective reasons. You can only fight by suppressing the activities of tactical aviation," the Air Force said.