The Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed the A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft and the Il-22 enemy air control center.
In the late evening of January 14, two Russian aircraft were hit in the Sea of Azov, namely the A-50 early warning vessel and the IL-22M11 control post. According to preliminary information, the A-50 fell into the sea, and the second plane was in the air and was trying to get to the nearest airport. However, he disappeared from the radar in the Kerch area.
In Ukraine, they call these ships “fat targets”; how they were removed is beyond the story.
Disappearance from the radar
Ukrainian media, citing sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, reported that the A-50 plane was shot down immediately after it went on duty in the Kirillovka area of the Zaporozhye region around 21:10-21:15 . “Reconnaissance” disappeared from the radar and stopped responding to tactical aviation requests. Later, the Su-30 pilot of the Russian Aerospace Forces reported that he had discovered a fire and the crash of an unidentified aircraft.
The Il-22M11 aircraft was on duty in the Strelkovoye area of the Kherson region, and was later shot down on the coast of the Sea of Azov at around 21:00. After the loss, the pilots planned to land in Anapa, so they requested an evacuation and called an ambulance and a fire truck.
However, according to media reports, the ship disappeared from radar in the Sea of Azov in the Kerch region.
“Fat Goals”
The Russians used the A-50 aircraft to escort the aircraft and coordinate fighter pilots for the missile attack on Ukraine. In addition, the ship tracks moving objects at low altitude. In particular, the A-50 radar is capable of detecting air targets at ranges: bombers – up to 650 km, fighters – 300 km and cruise missiles – 215 km.
As you know, the Russian army has 9 such aircraft in service (this includes the aircraft that was destroyed yesterday and damaged in Belarus at the Machulishchi airport on February 26). Note that the Russian industry no longer produces them, but only modifies the existing ones into the A-50U version.
Il-22M11 – air command post. In total, 21 such aircraft were produced in the USSR. Most of them were received by Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Five of them have undergone modernization in recent years.
Let’s recall that in the spring of 2022, the Ukrainian military, using the Buk air defense system, hit one such aircraft, but then it reached the airport. Not so lucky was the Il-22, which Wagner shot down in June 2023 on its march to Moscow.
Thus, the loss of such an aircraft is a severe blow to the Russian Aerospace Forces, which the Russian military-industrial complex cannot afford.
Elimination agent
It is not known exactly how the planes were hit. These may be surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles, anti-radar missiles, or breakdowns. One option is friendly fire.
As military expert Pyotr Chernik says, there are indeed many versions.
“Even a missile like SAMP-T in the Aster-30 configuration has a destruction range of up to 300 km. That is, it is quite possible from a technical point of view. Moreover, do not forget that our old aviation systems, such as the MiG-29, have successfully integrated such a missile as the AGM-88 HARM, and, perhaps, have already achieved other very serious successes in terms of integrating such missiles. In addition, we understand that a man-portable anti- The aircraft missile system can also reach such a vehicle at a distance of up to 7 km. We don’t know yet, these are versions,” Chernik said at the telethon.
Another military expert, Alexey Getman, added that the planes are outside the range of Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems, so they are inclined to only two versions.
“We can think of two options: that we use planes, maybe even F-16s, although this assumption is very optimistic… Although I am inclined to believe that the Russians, out of fear, shot at them with their own air defense system,” he said in the telethon.
Although he admitted that planes are not difficult to distinguish from missiles.
Russian propagandists have the same position. This morning they announced a “tragic day in Russian aviation” and blamed their own air defense, which “deep in the rear worked on two air targets that are difficult to confuse with a missile or drone.”
Reaction of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny confirmed that the soldiers of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were behind the destruction of the Russian aircraft.
“I thank the Air Force for the perfectly planned and executed operation in the Azov region!” Zaluzhny wrote.
The Air Force added that their special operation was really successful.
“To be continued…”, promised the military.
New Correspondent.net on Telegram and WhatsApp. Subscribe to our channels Athletistic and WhatsApp
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.