{"id":1366428,"date":"2022-03-09T08:23:39","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T13:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1366428"},"modified":"2022-03-09T08:27:08","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T13:27:08","slug":"russia-is-losing-the-war-for-the-skies-over-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/russia-is-losing-the-war-for-the-skies-over-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia Is Losing the War for the Skies Over Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frussia-is-losing-the-war-for-the-skies-over-ukraine%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1366428&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>As experts the world over continue to try to divine <em>why<\/em> Russia has failed to capture air dominance over Ukraine nearly two weeks into the fighting, stories, pictures and videos of Russian aircraft being downed by Ukraine\u2019s military continue to surface. It would seem that popular perceptions of Russia\u2019s military\u2014which have been intentionally shaped by Moscow for years\u2014are beginning to unravel as Russian forces pour further into its embattled neighbor. <\/p>\n<p>On paper, Russia\u2019s Air Force outnumber Ukraine\u2019s by more than 20 to 1, and while no one expected Russia to send <em>every<\/em> combat aircraft they have into Ukraine, Russia\u2019s inability to dominate the skies despite such a massive numbers advantage, and while further bolstered by advanced surface-to-air defense systems like the S-400 Triumpf, is hard to wrap your head around. <\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the reasons behind Russia\u2019s failure to secure air supremacy, the nation\u2019s inability to do so has allowed for valuable tactical and political victories for Ukraine over the past two weeks, from the legends of a Ukrainian ACE MiG-29 pilot known as the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/are-rumors-of-a-single-ukrainian-fighter-pilot-downing-6-russian-jets-true\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ghost of Kyiv<\/a><\/em> inspiring Ukrainians and others around the world, to stories of small Ukrainian drones destroying Russian armor in a 40-kilometer long traffic jam of Russian hardware headed toward Kyiv. <\/p>\n<p>Because of Russia\u2019s dominant numbers, the story tends to be focused on what Russia\u2019s doing <em>wrong<\/em>, but that shouldn\u2019t discount the incredible bravery and heroism shown by Ukrainian warfighters and civilians alike, often using man-portable anti-air weapons (MANPADs) to take on Russian aircraft directly. And not to be dismissed either are the incredible Ukrainian pilots, men and women like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/famed-ukrainian-fighter-pilot-grey-wolf-killed-over-kyiv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Grey Wolf<\/a>\u2014who was shot down near Kyiv last week\u2014who are taking to the sky despite overwhelming odds to square off with some of Russia\u2019s best as they defend their nation. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/are-rumors-of-a-single-ukrainian-fighter-pilot-downing-6-russian-jets-true\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Are rumors of a single Ukrainian fighter pilot downing 6 Russian jets true?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-russia-s-air-force-isn-t-facing-one-problem-but-a-symphony-of-them\">Russia\u2019s Air Force isn\u2019t facing one problem, but a symphony of them<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>(WikiMedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Numerous arguments have surfaced to explain Russia\u2019s lack of air supremacy, from their lack of precision ordnance limiting the pace of sorties to Russian pilots\u2019 and air defense system operators lacking combat competency\u2014making the chances of friendly fire too high. In an excellent piece of analysis from the <a href=\"https:\/\/rusi.org\/explore-our-research\/publications\/commentary\/mysterious-case-missing-russian-air-force\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)<\/a>, research fellow Justin Bronk offers a number of insights into Russia\u2019s air superiority struggle. While the article warrants reading, here are some important conclusions from Bronk\u2019s essay:<\/p>\n<p>In another story from <a href=\"https:\/\/theaviationist.com\/2022\/03\/04\/russian-campaign-in-ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Aviationist<\/a>, defense analyst Guy Plopsky offers some further explanation for Russia\u2019s inability to dominate the skies over Ukraine, adding to Bronk\u2019s list. Plopsky highlights how some Ukrainian air defense systems seem to still be in operation days after the war began, and points to Russia\u2019s lack of a dedicated suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) platform akin to America\u2019s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/americas-loitering-radar-hunting-missile-is-due-for-a-comeback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wild Weasel <\/a><\/em>F-16s, which are modified specifically for their role in hunting down and destroying air defense systems. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cOn this note, while Russia\u2019s operational-tactical aviation includes many aircraft types capable of employing anti-radiation missiles, it lacks a dedicated SEAD platform. There are no Russian \u2018Wild Weasels,\u2019\u201d Plopsky explains. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>A lack of a dedicated SEAD platform and training alone isn\u2019t the culprit, but it may be when added to Russia\u2019s very slow processing of strike packages followed by even slower battle assessments of those strikes, Plopsky points out. In short, Russia\u2019s approach to attacking air defenses is proving rather ineffective. <\/p>\n<p>The most logical explanation, as laid out by experts around the world, seems to be an unwieldy combination of problems, some of which are related to the current fighting, and many of which can likely be attributed to Russia\u2019s funding priorities in recent years. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/americas-loitering-radar-hunting-missile-is-due-for-a-comeback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">America\u2019s loitering radar-hunting missile is due for a comeback<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-russia-s-military-prioritizes-perception-of-capability-over-actual-capability\">Russia\u2019s military prioritizes <em>perception<\/em> of capability over <em>actual<\/em> capability<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/su-57-su-75-4.jpg\" alt=\"Su-75 Checkmate Vs Su-57 Felon - How Does Russia&#039;s New, Single-Engine  Stealth Aircraft Differ From Its Predecessor?\" \/><figcaption>Sukhoi Su-57 (left) and Sukhoi Su-75 (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>As we\u2019ve <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/russias-high-profile-weapons-are-all-smoke-and-mirrors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">covered time and time again<\/a> at Sandboxx News, Russia has devoted a huge amount of resources into converting its defense apparatus into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/3-advanced-russian-weapons-that-turned-out-to-be-science-fiction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rolling advertising platform<\/a> for foreign weapons and equipment sales. The nation\u2019s stagnating economy, already struggling under international sanctions, has severely limited Russia\u2019s ability to modernize its military force. But Russia has continued to fund the development of <em>new weapons<\/em> and systems aimed at garnering a great deal of attention, rather than focusing on maintaining or improving its existing equipment fleets. Why would Russia do such a thing? <\/p>\n<p>Well, to put it simply, Russia just can\u2019t afford to mass-produce advanced platforms like the Su-57 stealth fighter or T-14 Armata tank without foreign interests footing the bill. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Su-57-2.jpg\" alt=\"Russia&#039;s Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet gets advanced stealth coating - Defense  Forces\" \/><figcaption>Sukhoi Su-57<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Russia\u2019s annual defense budget floats at right around $60 billion annually, but to be fair, that figure can be a bit misleading. Russia spends less on just about everything across the board, from salaries and benefits for personnel to manufacturing and material costs, but even when accounting for these discrepancies, their total spending power is still a mere fraction of America\u2019s or China\u2019s. We\u2019ve discussed before how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/how-does-chinas-defense-spending-really-stack-up-against-the-us\/#:~:text=China%20actually%20spends%20more%20than%20it%20claims%20on%20its%20military&#038;text=In%202019%2C%20China&#039;s%20claimed%20defense,be%20closer%20to%20%24261%20billion.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">China hides a great deal of its defense spending behind the guise of domestic programs<\/a>, as well as how China <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/china-pays-generals-less-than-americas-junior-enlisted-troops\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pays its troops significantly less<\/a> than other developed nations, but even if we didn\u2019t include those factors, China\u2019s claimed budget remains nearly three-times that of Russia\u2019s. <\/p>\n<p>But whenever the media covers advanced military capabilities like <em>stealth fighters<\/em> or <em>hypersonic weapons<\/em>, Russia is presented not just as a <em>peer<\/em> to big spenders in the East and West, but it\u2019s often even suggested that Russia may be <em>ahead<\/em> of the United States in developing and fielding new technologies. This isn\u2019t just the result of wanton sensationalism in Western media (though that certainly plays a role), it\u2019s important to remember that this hype is a <em>product of Russian design<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/russias-high-profile-weapons-are-all-smoke-and-mirrors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How Russia uses the media to convey a false image of military might<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-reflexive-control-and-stealth-fighters\">Reflexive Control and stealth fighters<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/800px-Vladimir_Putin_282022-02-2429.jpg\" alt=\"File:Vladimir Putin (2022-02-24).jpg\" \/><figcaption>Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Kremlin\u2019s approach to information operations (IO) has long been based on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/how-false-flag-operations-work-and-russias-history-of-using-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Reflexive Control<\/a> methodology that\u2019s taught in Russian military academies and leveraged within Russian military doctrine.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cReflexive control is a \u2018uniquely Russian\u2019 concept based on\u00a0<em>maskirovka<\/em>, an old Soviet notion in which one \u2018conveys to an opponent specifically prepared information to incline him\/her to voluntarily make the predetermined decision desired by the initiator of the action\u2019.<a href=\"https:\/\/georgetownsecuritystudiesreview.org\/2017\/02\/01\/disinformation-and-reflexive-control-the-new-cold-war\/#_edn2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">[ii]<\/a>\u00a0That is, reflexive control is a sustained campaign that feeds an opponent select information so that the opponent makes the decisions that one wants him\/her to.\u00a0\u201c<\/p>\n<p><cite>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/georgetownsecuritystudiesreview.org\/2017\/02\/01\/disinformation-and-reflexive-control-the-new-cold-war\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Disinformation and Reflexive Control: The New Cold War<\/a>\u201d by <em>Annie Kowalewski<\/em>; published by the Georgetown Security Studies Review<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Reflexive Control is usually brought up in conversations about Russia\u2019s efforts to meddle in foreign elections, sew discord in foreign populations, or discredit efforts to hold Russia accountable for its aggressive actions, but it has proven just as effective in managing perceptions of Russia\u2019s military-industrial complex in recent years. <\/p>\n<p>The Kremlin is well aware of how the world\u2019s media reports on advanced military technologies, leaning hard on sensationalized headlines based on national or manufacturer claims and almost <em>always<\/em> without any broader context into the history or potential use of the new hardware. When Russia unveiled their new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/checkmate-the-details-on-russias-new-stealth-fighter-revealed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Su-75 Checkmate<\/a>\u2014said to be a budget-busting stealth fighter many compared to America\u2019s F-35\u2014we saw the media (including Sandboxx News) flood the world with coverage, highlighting what Russia says this new fighter will do and comparing it to what we know (or believe) other 5th generation platforms are capable of. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/09082653\/w644\" alt=\"\u0e17\u0e2d. \u0e23\u0e31\u0e2a\u0e40\u0e0b\u0e35\u0e22\u0e40\u0e1b\u0e34\u0e14\u0e15\u0e31\u0e27\u0e40\u0e04\u0e23\u0e37\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e07\u0e1a\u0e34\u0e19\u0e23\u0e1a\u0e25\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e07\u0e2b\u0e19\u0e23\u0e38\u0e48\u0e19\u0e43\u0e2b\u0e21\u0e48 Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate Stealth  Jet | \u0e44\u0e17\u0e22\u0e23\u0e31\u0e10\u0e2d\u0e2d\u0e19\u0e44\u0e25\u0e19\u0e4c - Auto | LINE TODAY\" \/><figcaption>Sukhoi rendering of the Su-75 Checkmate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>But was the fervor surrounding Checkmate actually justified? Russia unveiled what proved to be a largely wooden mock-up of what this notional fighter might look like if one is <em>ever built<\/em>, but as far as most of the world\u2019s coverage was concerned, Russia might as well have already put this jet into production. The media wasn\u2019t forced to report as such, nor were they colluding with Moscow. It\u2019s just a matter of the modern media industry and Russia\u2019s willingness and ability to manipulate it for their own ends. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"488\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-2.46.39-PM-1440x488-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-48406\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-2.46.39-PM-1440x488-1.png 1440w, https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-2.46.39-PM-300x102.png 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-2.46.39-PM-768x260-1.png 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-2.46.39-PM-1536x521-1.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-2.46.39-PM.png 1776w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/how-false-flag-operations-work-and-russias-history-of-using-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How false flag operations work and Russia\u2019s history of using them<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The truth, however, is that Russia\u2019s Checkmate is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/russia-doesnt-seem-sure-the-su-75-checkmate-will-be-stealth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">currently nothing more<\/a> than a design on a sheet of paper. To date, Russia has struggled to kick-start production on their existing stealth fighter, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/is-russias-su-57-the-worst-stealth-fighter-on-the-planet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Su-57 Felon<\/a>. In fact, while the U.S. and China both operate stealth fighter fleets with unit counts in the triple digits, Russia has only 12 hand-built prototypes and 2 serial production stealth fighters <em>in all<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>Without a foreign investor willing to pay to build the Checkmate, we\u2019ll likely see it follow in the Felon\u2019s footsteps\u2026 with a token number of hand-built jets flown in parades and called \u201chighly capable\u201d as Russia continues to court partners with deeper pockets. <\/p>\n<p>Russia knows exactly how to stir the media into a frenzy over dramatic new advances in military technology, but it\u2019s also well aware of how the media won\u2019t be nearly as interested in corrections to come weeks or months later. Russia\u2019s Uran-9 ground combat drone, for instance, was deployed to Syria with great fanfare for Russia. Months later, when reports of the drone\u2019s repeated and egregious failures finally bubbled to the surface, media coverage of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/russias-uran-9-robot-tank-performed-horribly-in-syria-2018-7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">its failure<\/a> was simply drowned out by the trending outrages and anxieties of the day.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"932\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-3.04.03-PM.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-48408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-3.04.03-PM.png 932w, https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-3.04.03-PM-300x109.png 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-3.04.03-PM-768x279-1.png 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Russia\u2019s first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/here-are-all-hypersonic-weapons-russia-and-china-have-in-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hypersonic weapon<\/a>, the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, is another excellent example. It\u2019s actually a 1988-era Iskander short-range ballistic missile married to a new targeting apparatus and mounted on a dated fighter (the MiG-31). Once again, Russia\u2019s stockpile of Kinzhals is reportedly limited to just <em>10 weapons<\/em>, but that hasn\u2019t stopped outlet after outlet from reporting on them as though the Kinzhal represents a significant leap in Russian weapons technology. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"337\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-3.02.37-PM-1440x337-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-48407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-3.02.37-PM-1440x337-1.png 1440w, https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-3.02.37-PM-300x70.png 300w, https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-3.02.37-PM-768x180.png 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Screen-Shot-2022-03-07-at-3.02.37-PM.png 1480w\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>With so little money to go around, Russia\u2019s heavy investment in problem-ridden but headline-grabbing programs like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/project-pluto-the-craziest-nuclear-weapon-in-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nuclear-powered cruise missiles<\/a>, stealth fighters, infantry drones, UCAVs, nuclear drone torpedoes, hypersonic weapons, and others has clearly come at the expense of modernizing or even <em>maintaining<\/em> large swaths of the force. <\/p>\n<p>After nearly two weeks of fighting over Ukraine, that problem with priorities seems to extend into Russia\u2019s air power apparatus, substantiating conclusions others have made about a lack of training, a lack of precision weapons, and a lack of capability to conduct complex operations in a hectic environment. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/is-america-really-losing-the-hypersonic-arms-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Is America really losing the hypersonic arms race?\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-russia-still-poses-a-threat-despite-its-failings\">Russia still poses a threat, despite its failings<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imageio.forbes.com\/specials-images\/imageserve\/61f4bb7809ee53f6410b752d\/0x0.jpg?fit=crop&#038;format=jpg&#038;crop=1200,562,x0,y200,safe\" alt=\"Russian Artillery Can Lob Shells At Ukrainian Troops With 10 Seconds&#039; Notice\" \/><figcaption>Russian Ministry of Defence<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The problem with writing stories like this, especially while Russian forces continue to push into Kyiv, is that our modern upvote\/downvote culture struggles to appreciate the nuance in saying Russia is not nearly as capable as they may seem <em>but are also capable enough to warrant concern.<\/em> As such, demonstrating Russia\u2019s ineffectual approach to military priorities might read a lot like a dismissal of the threat Russia poses to the U.S., its allies, or its interests at large. <\/p>\n<p>That isn\u2019t the case. Instead, this sort of analysis is aimed at ensuring our efforts to mitigate Russia\u2019s threats are based on the reality of their capabilities, rather than public perceptions of them.<\/p>\n<p>Russia\u2019s military, despite floundering in Ukraine, remains among the largest in the world, and of course, Russia\u2019s nuclear arsenal is nothing to be dismissed. But concerns about Russia expanding this conflict into a global war, invading Europe, or taking on the United States are based more on Russia\u2019s hard-earned <em>perception<\/em> of might than on Russia\u2019s mediocre military reality. <\/p>\n<p>Russia\u2019s massive collection of air assets could feasibly lay waste to huge swaths of Ukraine if ordered to do so. The nation boasts the airframes and ordnance necessary, but blanketing the nation in unguided bombs has\u2014thus far\u2014not been a part of Putin\u2019s plan to quickly replace Ukraine\u2019s government with a friendly asset. Their inability to perform complex operations with high precision shouldn\u2019t be seen as an inability to kill thousands if their objectives shift. <\/p>\n<p>But to be clear, Russia <em>should<\/em> have already been able to secure air dominance over Ukraine without resorting to carpet-bombing anything that even resembles an air-defense system or soldier carrying a MANPAD. The fact that they<em> haven\u2019t <\/em>is a solid argument in favor of the idea that\u2026 maybe they simply lack the ability to do so, lack faith in their troops to pull it off, or lack the training necessary to succeed. <\/p>\n<p>In any regard, the <em>perceptions <\/em>of Russia\u2019s military prowess are finally starting to align with Russia\u2019s military <em>reality<\/em>, and nowhere is that more clear than in the skies over Ukraine. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"read-more-from-sandboxx-news\">Read more from Sandboxx News<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As experts the world over continue to try to divine why Russia has failed to capture air dominance over Ukraine nearly two weeks into the fighting, stories, pictures and videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1366428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1366428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1366428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1366428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1366428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1366428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1366428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}