XPost: soc.history.war.misc, sci.military.naval

On 1/16/24 15:59, a425couple wrote:

Elena Gold
Media analyst 19h

How significant is the loss of an A-50 spy plane for Russia's air force?

Yesterday, Ukraine managed to hit 2 rare Russian planes: A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft (worth $330 million), and the Il-22 enemy air control center (worth $200 million).

from
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/26735

Kyiv Confirms Downing of Two Russian Command Planes in Disastrous Day
for Kremlin Air Force
Sources in Ukrainian intel confirmed to Kyiv Post that two aircraft had
been shot down, but did not provide further details of what weapons were responsible.

by Chris York, Maryna Shashkova | January 15, 2024, 9:01 am | Comments (3)
Kyiv Confirms Downing of Two Russian Command Planes in Disastrous Day
for Kremlin Air Force
File photo of a Russian Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft. PHOTO: Wikipedia
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LATEST: Double Shootdown of Russian Spy and Command Aircraft – Expensive Losses but Still Plenty of Questions

Ukraine has said two Russian airborne command aircraft were shot down on
Sunday evening in what amounts to one of the worst days for Moscow’s air force since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Ukrainian media on Sunday evening reported an A-50 radar early-warning
plane was downed on Sunday evening shortly after take-off over the Sea
of Azov in the Kyrylivka area of Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine.

A Russian Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command post was also damaged in an
attack and forced to make an emergency landing in Anapa on the Russian
side of the Sea of Azov.

Sources in Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) confirmed to
Kyiv Post that the two aircraft had been hit, saying “we confirm the
fact” but added: “We do not comment on the means used.”

HUR did not provide further details and it is not known what weapons
downed the two planes.

Later on Monday, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny, said in a
post on social media: "soldiers of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine" destroyed the plane, adding: "Thanks to the Air Force for the excellently planned and conducted operation in Azov region! Glory to
Ukraine!"

He also released radar footage of the planes' flight paths.




According to RBC-Ukraine, the A-50 radar early-warning plane disappeared
from radars and stopped responding to radio calls, with the pilot of a
Russian Su-30 fighter jet confirming the aircraft had been hit.

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Just a few minutes earlier, a Russian Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command
post was damaged with RBC posting what it claimed was an SOS call made
by the crew of the aircraft, in which they said: “Urgently requesting ambulance and fire crew.”

SEE ALSO: A Quick Guide to Russia’s Downed A-50 and Ilyushin Il-22M
Command Planes


According to open-source data, Russia had just nine A50 planes in
service, and 30 IL-22Ms.



File photo of Russsian Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command post. PHOTO: Wikicommons.

The loss of two command planes in a single day would mark the worst 24
hours for Russia’s air force since the launch of the full-scale invasion
of Ukraine.

The previous record would be a day last month when Ukraine downed three
Russian supersonic Su-34 strike aircraft.

As in Sunday’s attacks, the weapon system used were not disclosed but speculation suggested the possible use of the Patriot anti-aircraft
missile system.

How might the planes have been downed on Sunday evening?

Immediately after reports of the downing of the two aircraft were
received milbloggers and mainstream media began to speculate on what
happened.

The question on everyone’s keyboard was how Ukrainian air defense had
been able to hit targets well beyond the range of their known positions.

One theory voiced by Forbes and others was that, because in recent weeks Ukraine had been able to step up its use of electronic warfare to impede Russian air and missile activity, the planes had inadvertently strayed
outside of their usual “safe zones” bringing them into range.

Another suggestion was that an intrepid Ukraine pilot or pilots had
managed to stage a “sneaky” hit and run attack using air-to-air missiles before returning to safety over Ukrainian held territory.

A third suggestion made on a Ukrainian Telegram channel was that the
IL-22 had actually been hit by its own air defense assets deployed to
protect the Kerch bridge that links Crimea to mainland Russia.

One theory that has yet to be voiced, as the reports said the A-50 had
been hit “shortly after take-off,” was that one of Ukraine’s special forces teams or a partisan group had got close enough to use a
man-portable air defense (MANPAD) missile or other weapon to hit it.

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CONTACT US
Chris York
Chris York
Chris is Kyiv Post’s Head of News and has over a decade of experience as
a former senior editor and reporter at HuffPost UK. He has an MA in
Conflict, Development, and Security and after a stint learning Russian,
is now trying to forget it and learn Ukrainian instead.
Maryna Shashkova
Maryna Shashkova
Ukrainian journalist. Senior Corespondent at Kyiv Post. I have been
working as a journalist for almost 10 years. I write about Ukrainian
politics and social issues.
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