Forbes: Ukrainians lose helicopters at vulnerable refuelling points
15 May 2024 13:35
The Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is forced to take great risks with its helicopter fleet in order to be able to perform its tasks more or less effectively in the face of Russian air superiority. This is stated in a Forbes article, "Komersant Ukrainian" writes
Thus, only on 11 May did it become known that three Ukrainian helicopters had been destroyed just as they landed near the front line in the east of the country for refuelling and rearmament. They were spotted by a drone, and a few minutes later, a long-range Russian munition, probably an Iskander, blew up three helicopters near Pavlohrad.
This loss is devastating for the small Ukrainian air force and is yet another indication that the Ukrainians are still struggling to maintain adequate air defences along the 1,200km active combat line.
To adequately perform tasks in this area, the air force uses FARPs – forward area refuelling points. This is a field near the front line where helicopters can safely land, arm and refuel. The idea is for helicopter crews to do this very quickly, ideally within a minute, and take off before the enemy has time to target them.
However, this approach worked well in the past, when Ukraine had sufficient air defence ammunition. Now, due to the shortage of weapons, it has become much more difficult to defend the FARP. And the Russians are taking advantage of this.
Ukraine entered a full-scale war with Russia with about 40 Mi-24 and 60 Mi-8 helicopters. Since February 2022, Ukrainians have lost 40 helicopters. However, some old machines have been restored, and Ukraine has received at least 90 more helicopters from partners.
However, this does not mean that the Ukrainian army should not worry. Each lost helicopter can mean two or more dead or wounded crew members. And experienced aviators are harder to replace than helicopters.
“Losses at vulnerable FARPs could continue unless the Ukrainians speed up rearmament and refuelling procedures, add more air defences over the FARPs, or move to safer night operations. Or some combination of all three is needed,”
– forbes observers believe.
