The Times learns what missiles Ukraine destroyed Russian A-50 aircraft with
Photo: A-50s shooting down Patriots and old S-200s (Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces destroyed Russian A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft with Soviet-era missiles. In addition, Patriot systems were used, The Times reports.
According to the source, a high-ranking officer in the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, in May 2022 it was decided to restore the S-200 system and start its combat use. Officers who had previously operated these systems were found, as well as engineers capable of restoring them.
The first launch took place in the fall of 2023, but the missiles failed to hit the target because the A-50 changed its flight path. However, despite this, the operation was successful in terms of demonstrating capabilities.
The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine officer says that they set an example for the Ukrainian Air Force to not be afraid of being targeted, explaining that during their first attempt, when they launched 2 missiles, the Air Force observed how quickly the launchers were hidden and evacuated, so no one even noticed their location.
First A-50
Already this year, the Ukrainian Air Force used truck-mounted Patriot batteries. A Ukrainian Air Force lieutenant colonel told The Times that it was very risky because it was necessary to drive the Patriot very close to the front, which means 5 or 6 large vehicles.
A battery of Patriot SAMs was waiting for the A-50 on January 14 as it crossed the Azov Sea with an Il-22 command center plane.
The Russian crews believed they were well beyond the range of any ground threat. They had less than two minutes to react before the missiles struck. As a result, the A-50 crashed into the sea, while the Il-22 was undamaged and was able to return to base.
Second A-50
As soon as the Kremlin realized that the A-50s were vulnerable, it withdrew them from the Sea of Azov, out of Patriot's range. However, they continued to be within range of the S-200 system. On February 23, an S-200 battery under the command of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine hit a second aircraft, which was located about 170 kilometers from the front line.
During another operation, Ukrainian forces used the S-300 system with its radar on as a decoy and lured the aircraft into the Patriot's range.
The Ukrainian Air Force Lieutenant Colonel says that the pilots were eager to fly out and destroy the S-300, but then the Patriot system appeared. Out of 6 planes, 2 were shot down by the S-300 and 4 by the Patriot
The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine used the S-200 to strike a Tu-22MZ bomber on April 19, when it was firing missiles at Ukraine. Russian aircraft crashed over the Stavropol Territory.
Since then, the Russians have changed the distance of their missile launches. “We pushed them away from some targets they could have attacked,” the DIU officer said.
A-50 elimination
On January 14, the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down a Russian A-50 aircraft over the Sea of Azov.
Then, on February 23, another Russian A-50 was shot down over the Sea of Azov. Intelligence sources said that the A-50U is a new modernized version of the aircraft, and its cost is about $350 million.
In addition, on March 9, drones attacked an aircraft factory in Russia's Taganrog, damaging a hangar with an A-50 aircraft.
