Russian Forces Shoot Down Ukraine's Heavy Sukhoi Su-27 Fighter Jet

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) lost a heavy Su-27 fighter jet in a Russian military strike, with the incident attributed to human error, Oleh Petrenko, head of the staff fund of Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade.

"He [the pilot] performed very effectively today while repelling the attack,” Petrenko said. "But unfortunately, the human factor – something that shouldn't have happened – occurred. I won't go into details," Petrenko said.

Despite the loss of the aircraft, the pilot survived. The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the loss of the Su-27, which was hit while conducting a complex combat mission providing air support for Ukrainian troops and was reportedly targeted by Russian strike drones.

Russian Defense Ministry Confirms Destruction of Ukrainian Su-27

On April 28, the Russian Armed Forces shot down a Su-27 fighter belonging to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia's Ministry of Defense said. In the same 24-hour period, Russian air defense systems reportedly destroyed seven US-supplied JDAM precision-guided bombs and 189 fixed-wing drones. Russian forces also struck a Ukrainian border guard training center and several military airfields.

Russian Troops Advance Near Dnipropetrovsk Region

Russian troops continue to advance within the zone of the special military operation. In recent weeks, they have moved closer to the border of Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region. Russian forces are currently engaged in fighting near Kotlyarivka and Uspenivka and have nearly reached the highway leading to Zaporizhzhia from the south.

Ukraine Has Lost One-Third of Its Western-Supplied F-16s

Ukraine has lost approximately one-third of the F-16 fighter jets supplied by Western nations, according to independent geopolitical and military analyst Drago Bosnich. As of April, Ukraine had around 27 F-16AM jets, of which fewer than 19 remain operational.

Bosnich noted that F-16s have recently become top targets for the Russian Aerospace Forces. He argued that the destruction of these aircraft helps debunk the myth of Western technological superiority.

"Although these fighters were modernized to some extent, it's far from enough to match Russian aircraft such as the MiG-31BM interceptors, Su-35S fighters, or Su-30 multirole fighters,” Bosnich stated.

Russian aircraft radar systems are vastly superior to those on F-16s, and Russian air-to-air missiles have repeatedly set world records for range, he added.

Details

The Sukhoi Su-27 (Russian: Сухой Су-27; NATO reporting name: Flanker) is a Soviet-origin twin-engine supersonic supermaneuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large US fourth-generation jet fighters such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, with 3,530-kilometre (1,910 nmi) range, heavy aircraft ordnance, sophisticated avionics and high maneuverability. The Su-27 was designed for air superiority missions, and subsequent variants are able to perform almost all aerial warfare operations. It was designed with the Mikoyan MiG-29 as its complement.