Ukrainian pilots use combat techniques not practiced since the Cold War. A former pilot of the United States Air Force defends that there are flight techniques, “especially low altitude flight“, which must be recovered.
In statements to the American media Business Insider, John Venable states that during the Cold War “we flew at low altitude all the time” to “practice against high threat situations “where you have surface-to-air missiles that can shoot you down.” This former soldier retired in 2006 after 25 in the US Armywhere he flew several international missions.
The pilot insists that “flying at low altitude can be particularly challenging.” Although he recommends Ukrainian forces fly “this way” due to the “prolific threats to everything in the airThese pilots “come in very, very low, and then appear” to hit an air or ground target, “and when they finish launching their munitions or firing their missiles, they have to go back to the low altitude environment.
“The United States was practicing low-altitude tactics until the Desert Storm in 1991“, when “several American planes were shot down in the first days, so the average altitude“.
“There will come a time, in the not-too-distant future, when even stealth platforms They will have to incorporate some of these tactics into their confrontations” he says, referring to low-altitude flying. “That’s something the United States could lean on and start to understand a little better.”
According to the publication, the war in Ukraine has had a great impact on air defense. “This conflict looks like one the West has not faced in a long time. It is an exhausting, brutal war with a lot of artillerywith enormous losses of troops and equipment and new components for which the West does not seem to be fully prepared, like drones“.
“The West is looking to Ukraine for lessons on how to confront Russia if necessary, including what you need in the air“, the media concludes. “Ukrainian soldiers who are receiving training from Western armies are also providing feedback to those militaries about Russian tactics and what works well against them and what doesn’t.”
