by DAVID AXE
October was a hard, hard month for Russian military aviation. Ukrainian drone and missile strikes destroyed no fewer than nine Russian fighters and helicopters on the ground in Russia and occupied Ukraine. Another three fighters were destroyed in crashes and accidents. The Russians also shot down one of their own helicopters in a friendly fire incident.
That’s 13 airframe write-offs in one month. Well above normal. For perspective: the Russians have lost 320 military aircraft in action in the 56 months since widening their war on Ukraine. That’s six combat losses per month, on average. This month, they’ve lost nine aircraft to enemy action and one to their own sloppy air defense. The three accidents only twist the knife.
