We are now three weeks into the Russia-Ukraine war.
Where is the VKS?
The most resounding Soviet affirmation of the dominant role played by air power in Desert Storm came barely two weeks following the cease-fire. Not surprisingly, it emerged from an interview with the chief of the main staff of the Soviet air force, Lieutenant General A. Malyukov. After suggesting that the war had constituted "a textbook example of what air supremacy means-both for the country that gained it and for the country ceding it to the opponent," the interviewer asked the general whether he felt the war had reflected a practical application of the American "Air-Land Battle" doctrine.
In a reply that showed much perspicacity, General Malyukov answered: "I do not think so. There was no classical 'air-land battle.' Why? The point is that this war-and here General Dugan comes to mind-was obviously conceived from the outset as an air war to wear out the opponent by means of air strikes, disorganize his command systems, destroy his air defenses, and weaken the ground forces' striking power. In terms of the choice of objectives, it was more a case of a classic air offensive. And these objectives were achieved. Broadly speaking, this is the first time we have seen a war in which aviation took care almost entirely of all the main tasks [emphasis added]."
Basically, what Malyukov said 31 yrs ago that US airpower came to %90 of forcing an enemy into submission, that US airpower %90 scrapped the concept of 'air-land battle'. Or more like %90 air and %10 land. Apologies to our Army and Marines brothers and sisters. What have the VKS done for itself for the past 30 yrs? Apparently, with the last three weeks showing the world:
NOTHING. The Su-57 does not qualify as an achievement. When this war is over, the Su-57 will be relegated to the museum.
With the Russia-Ukraine war, the world was looking for a Desert Storm replacement. Instead, the world was forced to return to Desert Storm as example of how far airpower have come, how much US airpower can do, and that the world's second air force failed by a miserable margin even just to meet the par set by US airpower, let alone hope to surpass. Thirty yrs passed and all the VKS done was produced one new platform and when the air force was called into battle, it failed its ground forces brothers.
It is not just any one observer of this war but of the entire world that the time for being generous to the VKS is over. Maybe it is time for all the VKS generals to commit
seppuku by impaling themselves on the pitot probes of their jets.
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