why is it flying and contesting airspace in Bakhmut ?
Imagine if the US decide to equip Ukraine with F-16 earlier ?
Because equipment/tools are just that, tools. Russian air force has the better tools and they emphasize tools = field performance. Russian propaganda like "combat approved" really like to show how their equipment are superior to the Western ones even though they're not.Despite possessing the numerical and technical superiority, the RuAF remains unable to destroy Ukranian Air assets (some of which are flying close to the frontline). Their failure to destroy/disable Ukranian land assets (and protect their own from Ukranian attacks) is noteworthy.
The war in Ukraine shows why USAF/USN and select Western countries like air components is right not only with their equipment choices but their training.
30 years in between from Desert Storm to Ukraine and Russia failed replicating what the US coalition did in Kuwait. The US coalition achieve air superiority in the first two days and transition to air supremacy on the 10th compared to VKS not even able to achieve air superiority after 10 months of war.
in 1991 many USAF fighters doesn't not have AESA, advanced ECM and some coalition planes still uses traditional bombing techniques against Iraqi formidable IADS (the 3rd largest in the world). In 2022 Russia goes to war with Su-30/34/35 against a country with questionable IADS.