Ukrainian Su-27 Destroyed During Combat Mission Against Russian Drones

<p >The Ukrainian Air Force on April 28 confirmed the loss of one of its few remaining Su-27 fighter aircraft during a mission to intercept Russian drones. Earlier in the day the fighter was involved in a “complex combat mission” to both provide air support to ground troops and repel “strike UAVs,” with the aircraft destroyed under unknown circumstances. Russian media outlets reported that the fighter was destroyed while chasing Geran-2 single use drones, a locally produced version of the I<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/iran-s-shahed-136-drone-has-become-russia-s-primary-aircraft-for-striking-ukrainian-positions-unprecedented-attacks-near-odessa" target="_blank">ranian Shahed 136 </a>that has been used widely since September 2022 to strike a wide range of Ukrainian and allied targets. It remains uncertain whether the Su-27 was destroyed by the drones themselves, whether it crashed due to a technical issue, or whether Ukrainian air defences may have brought it down by accident. Unconfirmed reports indicate that footage showing a Su-27 engulfed in flames and is seen descending in a flat spin showed the fighter lost in April 28. Ukrainian aircraft losses to friendly fire have been significant throughout the war, with sources from the country having confirmed days prior that Ukrainian air defences were responsible for killing 68 friendly personnel on a Russian aircraft during an exchange of prisoners of war in January 2024.</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/04/29/article_681024fc5f1d94_71123892.jpeg" title="Shahed 136 Drone Over Ukraine"></p><p >Ukrainian sources have reported growing difficulties in countering attacks by Russian single use drones, with the aircraft reported to have begun flying at higher altitudes of 2,000 to 2,500 meters, and forming groups of up to 20 drones for simultaneous attacks on urban targets. Operating at these altitudes places the aircraft beyond the effective reach of anti-aircraft guns and a number of missile systems, allowing the drones to then execute steep dives toward their intended targets at speeds of around 90 meters per second. Such operations are likely to have increased pressure on the country’s dwindling fighter fleet for air defence duties. The Su-27 is the most capable fighter class fielded by the Ukrainian Air Force, with its high weapons carrying capacity and long range making it highly prized for cruise missile strikes on Russian forces. Efforts to use the fighters to engage Russian aircraft in air-to-air combat, however, have consistently ended in <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/four-su-27-flankers-shot-down-over-western-ukraine-in-march-5-battle-which-russian-asset-could-have-done-it" >overwhelming losses</a>, with the Soviet-built aircraft remaining at a <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/longest-ranged-aam-performs-ukraine-su57" >significant disadvantage</a> if facing Russia’s more modern fighters such as the Su-30SM and Su-35. Ukrainian pilots who have flown Su-27s and the newly delivered U.S.-built F-16s have reported that the former remains an overall more capable aircraft, although as very few Su-27s are fielded by Western-aligned states there remains little possibility of combat losses being replenished. </p>

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