On November 17, Global Defense Corp wrote that American-Norwegian NASAMS interceptors are operationally ready in Ukraine.
The information about the readiness of NASAMS was confirmed by the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Mr. Lloyd Austin, said in his speech this Wednesday, November 16th. Austin also added that NASAMS had a 100% success rate in Ukraine. Confirmation of the deployment of NASAMS to Ukraine and the start of their work there was also given by Pat Ryder, who is a spokesperson for the US Department of Defense. “The [NASAMS] systems are now in Ukraine and operational,” Ryder said during a press briefing.
On November 19, a Twitter account, announced that NASAMS had hit the Russian flagship, the Su-35S fighter jet. A video shared on social media claims this. “The moment of the shooting down of the latest and most technological Russian Su 35S fighter with the help of the Norwegian Nasams complex in the Bakhmut area. The pilot ejected but did not survive,” said the published tweet accompanying the video.
The video shows a falling blimp engulfed in flames. The video does not show the moment of the impact, nor whether it was an aircraft, and whether it was the Su-35S. This will be the twenty-fifth downed Su-35S since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. It is successfully exported to China and Egypt, according to several Russian experts.
The Su-35 is an upgraded Soviet-era Su-27 fighter jet with Irbis-E phased array radar and upgraded AL-41F engines, however Su-35S lacks modern avionics, AESA radar and electronic warfare capabilities. Russia lost several export opportunities to European counterparts because Su-35 lacks an AESA radar. Egyptian Air Force’s tests shows that Su-35S lacks beyond visual range combat capability and can be jammed by modern Western electronic warfare system.
On 24 February 2022, Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine by Russian Armed Forces previously concentrated along the border. The invasion followed by targeted airstrikes of military buildings in the country. The invasion followed also by targeted tanks entering via Belarus border.
Russia has lost a total of 278 fixed wing aircraft in the war against Ukraine, according to Oryx blog.
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