Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Ukrainian pilots are calling the US Air Force for tips on using US-made missiles and bombs

Ukrainian pilots are calling the US Air Force for tips on using US-made missiles and bombs

For 13 months, US airmen have been advising Ukrainian aircrews on how to operate against Russian forces and use US-made weapons.

Since Russia attacked Ukraine last year, US airmen have been on the phone with their Ukrainian counterparts, discussing ways to operate against Russian forces and how to use US-made weapons, US Air Force officials said this month.

While Russia has some aerial advantages, both sides have effective air-defense systems that have kept the other from gaining air superiority, but Ukraine's air force continues to receive US-made weapons that allow it to strike valuable targets.

As with other US-made hardware, those weapons come with constant US support, according to Lt. Gen. Michael Loh, director of the US Air National Guard.

It started out as "here's what you need to do to survive the initial attack" and has evolved to "here's how you can continue to deliver airpower," Loh told reporters at the Air and Space Forces Association symposium on March 8.

Ukrainian and US personnel during exercise Safe Skies in July 2011.


Much of the support comes from the California National Guard, which has worked with Ukraine since 1993 as part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program.

That relationship has "allowed a Ukrainian soldier to pick up the phone to say, 'Hey, I'm having a problem with this weapon system' to somebody who actually trained them and solve a problem on the ground," Loh said in response to a question from Insider.

US airmen have advised Ukrainians on conducting agile combat employment, the US Air Force's concept for dispersed operations, and on using US-made weapons, including the AGM-88, a high-speed anti-radiation missile provided last year to target Russian radars, and guidance kits, called JDAMs, that allow bombs to glide farther.

"We're continuing to provide them the tactics, techniques, and procedures for things like agile combat employment [and] new weapons systems, as you've seen in the press lately — 'how do I use a Glide JDAM' and some of those things," Loh said. "It was HARMs before that. So that has continued over this last 13 months of conflict."

Ukraine's air force still faces a tough operating environment. Ukrainian air-defense systems, ranging from Cold War-era cannons to sophisticated guided missiles, have helped keep Russian aircraft at bay and defended Ukrainian infrastructure from Russia's missile and drone attacks, but Russia also fields highly effective air-defense systems, which along with long-range sensors and missiles on Russian aircraft hinder Ukrainian jets' ability to operate effectively near the front lines.

A California Air National Guard officer discusses exercise Safe Skies with his Ukrainian counterparts in July 2011.


The US estimates that Russian forces have downed more than 60 Ukrainian aircraft and that Ukrainian forces have downed more than 70 Russian aircraft, according to Gen. James Hecker, head of US Air Forces in Europe.

"Both of their integrated air and missile defenses, especially when you're talking about going against aircraft, have been very effective, and that's why they're not flying over one another's country," Hecker said at the symposium on March 6.

Ukraine has been able to mount limited aerial attacks against Russian forces, including some high-profile attacks far behind Russian lines, usually with drone aircraft.

US-made HARM missiles, which US engineers scrambled to adapt for use on Ukraine's Soviet-designed MiG-29s and Su-27s in just two months, have helped with attacks on fixed targets, like air-defense systems, though both sides are "getting very good at taking these typically fixed sites and being able to move them, quite often in little time," Hecker told reporters.

A Ukrainian MiG-29 armed with a US-made AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile.


"We've just got them some precision munitions that have some extended range and go a little bit further than a gravity-dropped bomb," Hecker added. "That's a recent capability that we were able to give them, probably in the last three weeks."

Hecker appeared to be referring to the extended range JDAM, which uses wings and a GPS kit mounted on an unguided bomb to enable it to reach targets up to 45 miles away.

With its current capabilities, Ukraine's air force is able to do "a couple of strikes a day" at ranges "a little bit farther than HIMARS can get right now, but not real far out at all," Hecker said.

While discussion of future Western military aid to Ukraine has focused on fighter jets, officials and experts say artillery and air-defense weapons remain the highest priority ahead of increased fighting in the spring and summer.

Russia's frequent air attacks have taxed Ukraine's supply of interceptor missiles. Countries at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in January pledged to provide more of those missiles, and Ukraine is now "sitting in a pretty good place," Hecker added. "If they run out, then it's going to be very difficult for the Ukrainians to protect what they have right now."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×