A Ukrainian Air Force (UAF) claimed the shooting down of two Russian strategic aircraft, in yet another development of the war that is about to complete two years. The aircraft, an A-50U Mainstay radar plane and an Il-22M relay plane, were hit in flight over the Sea of Azov, between Crimea, to the west, Russia, to the east, and eastern Ukraine, to the west. north.
Comments about the downing of the planes began on Sunday (14) through Telegram groups and spread across social media. This Monday, the UAF officially claimed the downing of the aircraft. “Who did this?” asked the military in an ironic tone on X, formerly Twitter.
Who did this? 🤫 pic.twitter.com/Zo0JlcQw04
—Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) January 15, 2024
Without giving details of the operation, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, commander of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate, confirmed to the portal The War Zone the shooting down of the A-50 and damage to the Il-22, which made an emergency landing on an airfield that has not yet been confirmed.
On the Russian side, the blogger Fighterbomber also claimed the shooting down of the radar plane and later published an image showing the tail of the Il-22 severely damaged by shrapnel from a missile.
/8. RF-95678 pic.twitter.com/2ueSQwhMsw
ADVERTISING - Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) January 15, 2024
Russian military source FighterBomber appears to confirm Russian A-50 Mainstay Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft (AEW&C) was shot down over Sea of Azov. pic.twitter.com/nFfHWyegHO
- Clash Report (@clashreport) January 15, 2024
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The loss of the two aircraft is a severe blow to Russia's operations. Based on the Il-76 freighter, the A-50 is an early warning and control platform, or simply put, a flying radar. Similar to the North American E-3 and the Brazilian E-99, the A-50 flies away from the front line, providing important data for commanders of theaters and tactical aircraft such as fighters and bombers.
Called Mainstay by NATO, the A-50 can detect fighter planes, drones, missiles and other target objects and guide the shooting down of those targets. The radar plane can also detect and collect signals. Only 10 such aircraft exist in Russia and only half are believed to be operational.
The Il-22M, in turn, is an airborne command post and communications relay, relaying radio signals, based on the Il-18 enger-carrying turboprop.
Although Ukraine claims the planes were shot down, Russia does not confirm the losses. Speaking to state news agency TASS, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin had no information about what happened. “No, there is no such information. Furthermore, after all, this is a question that concerns the course of the special military operation.”
