This master thesis analyses Russian air superiority in the case of the invasion of Ukraine. In a war that has shocked the world public and in which a swift defeat of Ukraine was expected, there is also an aerial dimension to the conflict. For more than a year, the Ukrainian air force and air defences have been fighting against the second largest air force fleet in the world. Based on the research questions, the master's thesis identifies the success of the Russian Fedearion air campaign and the performance of the Ukrainian air defence. At the beginning of the conflict, the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation launched attacks deep into Ukrainian airspace, but failed to establish air superiority. The failure to destroy Ukrainian air defence systems, the lack of reconnaissance capabilities and under-trained pilots were key challenges for the Russian Federation, which was yet not able to achieve air superiority. Ukraine's air defences have improved with international assistance and the delivery of advanced Western systems, enabling it to defend itself more successfully against missile and drone attacks. The biggest challenge facing Ukraine's air defence is the lack of missiles for existing air defence systems and the insufficient supply of Western air defence systems.
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