Before the war, the Russian Government had poured significant sums into the modernisation of its air-force, acquiring hundreds of new aircraft, deploying new weapon systems and testing the force over Syria.In Ukraine, the VKS has found itself as the stronger party, but none the less held off by Ukrainian air defences and fighters and incapable of delivering decisive support for ground forces.In this episode we look at the air war (building on previous discussions of ground based air defences and helicopters) and also at one of the most contentious issues for Western nations supporting Ukraine – whether UA needs (and should receive) Western built aircraft.