THRILLING new footage shows a Ukrainian jet firing missiles and doing barrel rolls during a nerve-racking mid-air show of force.
The cockpit clip, shared on social media, shows the pilot performing elaborate manoeuvres amid the ongoing air war.
In the minute-long clip shared by Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the pilot is seen climbing into an MIG-29 fighter jet before taking off from an airfield under Ukrainian control.
After geolocating the footage, defence experts confirmed the MIG-29 took off from Voznesensk, a reserve base used by the Ukrainian Air Force, from which operations have flown since February 2022.
Voznesensk, in Mykolaiv Oblast, is a reserve base and is used by the Ukrainian Air Force. From there, operations have also been flown since February 2022.
As the jet flies over several towns, the pilot executes barrel rolls, before the clip cuts to a view of the top of the cockpit as the pilot launches a plethora of missiles.
Commenting on the clip, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry said: "Dear World, look at how beautiful our land is. Is it any wonder that our pilots defend it with such courage and passion?".
Russian Air Force, one of the largest and most technologically sophisticated in the world, has claimed their pilots had wiped out the whole Ukrainian Air Force, but has so far struggled to win control over Ukrainian skies.
Indeed, with an estimated 4,000 combat aircraft and vast experience bombing targets in wars and combat zonesin Syria, Georgia and Chechnya, Russia was expected to gain air supremacy.
Experts have suggested flawed logistics operations and a lack of regular and realistic training have plighted the recent modernisation of the Russian Air Force – despite the acquisition of the overplayed SU-34 strike aircraft.
The Ukrainian Air Force, although it possesses limited airpower resources,has so far managed to grow their offensive air capabilities and adapted their air operations.
This has allowed them to block any Russian air dominance.
The Air Force efforts have also been bolstered by an extensive range of air and anti-air capabilities – from handled portable surface-to-air missiles to longer-range S-300 missile systems from Slovakia and drones used to identify Russian ground-to-air missiles.
On June 20, dramatic footage reportedly showing the moment a Russian air ace crashed in flames when a combat-tested Ukrainian soldier shot down his helicopter with a missile emerged.
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Video shared by Ukrainians shows an orange flash as the low-flying Mi-35M chopper is struck by a shoulder-launched rocket.
The aircraft comes down in a field seconds later and cartwheels in a fireball crash.
And pictures from the aftermath show the fiery wreckage of the £30million attack helicopter in a crater.
The clip came after a dramatic Top Gun-style footage emerged showing a Ukrainian jet narrowly dodging a Russian missile lock in a mid-air fight.
The Soviet-designed Su-25 fighter jet can be seen flying over a road over the eastern Donbas region.
Suddenly the pilot's radar is flashing, suggesting he has been targeted, warning him of an imminent Russian attack.
The pilot then starts twisting and turning over the green fields in a bid to escape the hit.
He performs a series of complex manoeuvres swiftly tilting left and right at high speeds.
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At some point, he gets dangerously close to the ground with the aircraft's wing even grazing the trees below.
Ukrainian pilots have previously flown dangerously close to the ground to evade Russian missiles.
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