lost 55 military aircraft due to being shot down by Ukrainian air defences since the start of the invasion. He credits this success to the Ukrainian use of SA-11 and SA-10 air defence systems. As the US doesn't have these systems getting new missiles from European allies is a "big ask" from Kyiv. Russian airplanes have increased their operations due to the 2022 Ukrainian Kharkiv Oblast counteroffensive. The tally went to 55 after the UK MoD stated that it believed that some 4 Russian jets had been downed by Ukraine over the last 10 days. This was due to a number of factors including changing front lines, or the fact that they were under pressure to provide closer ground support. He further claimed that Ukrainian Air Force is at "about 80%" of its pre-invasion strength after 7 months of combat. Equipment As part of ongoing 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War, the following numbers may be outdated. Last reliable information of the number of Ukrainian Airforce operational aircraft came from December 2021; during the ongoing conflict, losses and technical reffiting and donations may have changed the reported numbers. Aircraft Current inventory Retired Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25, Mikoyan MiG-27, Sukhoi Su-17, Sukhoi Su-15, Yakovlev Yak-28, Tupolev Tu-160, Tupolev Tu-95, Tupolev Tu-22M, Tupolev Tu-22, Tupolev Tu-16, Tupolev Tu-154 and the Tupolev Tu-134. Armament Air Defence Branches of the Air Force Anti-Aircraft Defense The Anti-Aircraft Defense Missile Artillery Forces within the Air Force became predominant after the 2004 merger of the Air Force and the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces. It allowed the Armed Forces of Ukraine to adopt the tri-service structure, common to most modern armed forces in the world. The Air Defense Missile Forces of the Ukrainian Air Force performs key tasks in the protection of Ukraine's sovereignty and the inviolability of its borders and air space. It has clearly defined functions in both peacetime and wartime, is intended to prevent any enemy air and missile strikes, to defend the most important administrative, political and industrial centers and other vital objects of importance, to aid in the concentration of Army and Navy units, to intercept enemy aircraft and other military objects, and to protect against enemy ballistic and cruise missile strikes. Structure The Ukrainian Air Force Command is based in the city of Vinnytsia. After the collapse of the USSR and the independence of its constituent republics it was organised on the basis