Russia may revamp old A-50 aircraft: Ukrainian military reacts
Spokesperson for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yurii Ihnat (mil in ua)
Russia may attempt to replace the long-range radar detection aircraft A-50, destroyed by Ukrainian defenders. However, the crucial factor is the condition of the old Russian A-50 aircraft, says a spokesperson for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yurii Ihnat.
He commented on British intelligence reports that the Russian military might try to renovate old A-50 aircraft.
"The restoration of the aircraft is not a simple matter. The question is what condition they preserved it. If everything is in working order. If there is a command from above, I don't think they will spend much time restoring it, taking it out of storage, and deploying," the spokesperson said.
Ihnat adds that the capabilities of the A-50 aircraft have been significantly reduced over the actions of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"This is indeed an achievement we have never seen before. Because the A-50 was shot down for the first time, then for the second time such a machine was shot down from a great distance, pushing them further away from the front line and reducing the A-50's ability to conduct radar reconnaissance to obtain valuable information for the enemy on planning attacks and attacks by Ukrainian aviation," he added.
The spokesperson adds that Russia will try to make up for the losses, including the A-50, as was done with the lost tactical aviation.
Background
On the evening of February 23, sources of RBC-Ukraine within the Armed Forces reported that a Russian A-50 aircraft was shot down over the Sea of Azov. This is the second A-50 shot down by the Armed Forces since the beginning of the war.
The General Staff clarified that the A-50U is a new modernized version of the aircraft. The cost of the destroyed aircraft is $350 million.
As previously stated by the Air Force spokesperson, there have been no sightings of A-50 over the Sea of Azov for almost a week.
