The Ukrainian air force says it shot down two high-value Russian aircraft earlier this week and now controls the airspace over the southeastern area of the country. On X, the military said it had taken out an A-50 long-range detection and control aircraft worth $330 million and an Il-22 aerial control center worth about $250 million. “I am grateful to the Air Force for the perfectly planned and executed operation in the Azov Sea region!” army chief Valeriy Zaluzhny said on the Telegram messaging app.
The military told media the Il-22 was downed just north of the Crimean Peninsula and the A-50 was shot down near the Sea of Azov. “Minus the enemy long-range radar detection aircraft A-50 and the enemy’s control post IL-22,” the military said. “The [Ukrainian] Air Force is guarding the skies of Ukraine.” Ukraine didn’t offer any proof that it had shot the aircraft down, but Russian military bloggers seemed to confirm it and its dire consequences for the Russians. “There are not many A-50s. And the specialists operating them are generally rare. If an aircraft of this type is hit, the crew will not be able to escape,” said Rybar, an influential pro-Russian military blogger with 1.2 million followers.
Good morning,
I believe you’ve a broken link in the article.
There actually wasn’t supposed to be a link there. Thanks for letting us know.
Russ
Two aircraft, full of someone’s sons, husbands, and fathers.
…yes. An aircraft crewed by someone’s sons, husbands and fathers… actively aiding and abetting the wholesale killing of someone’s civilian daughters, wives, mothers, grandmothers, sons, husbands and fathers. No sympathy for those two crews in this house. They got what they played for.
So someone takes you or your family hostage, threatens to kill you and you’re more concerned the police consider the feelings of your captors? Some brilliant thinking there!
They are combatants. That’s the risk they incurred when joining the Russian Air Force. The Ukrainians are in a fight for national survival. The crew is a legitimate target.
You’re assuming they ‘joined’ voluntarily?
Do they use conscripts in those jobs?
Doesn’t really matter how they joined. You fly on a legitimate military target and you become the target. Command and control certainly falls under that umbrella.
Plenty of conscripts gave their all in Vietnam.
If You are so sorry for those lealists of Puttin, why don’t You go to russia (intented non capital r) and stay there?
I mean loyalist, non lealist
“Pawns in the game are not victims of chance.”
– Sting, from the lyrics of “Childrens Crusade”
I will expect to see this same post from you with each report of Russia’s intentional bombing of Ukrainian apartment buildings, shopping malls and hospitals.
Those Ruskies come up with some weird flying creations. I wonder how many rubles it takes to equal 350 million U.S.
Ruble equivalency checked 17 Jan 24 @ 1240hr PST
1$US = 88.105727
So
350 Million $US = 3,102,225,000 Ruble.
The “How did they do it” angle on this story is pretty interesting. It’s not exactly like they were flying that giant over Kiev.
Agree… would/could HARM be used against the AWACS? The Il could be located by COMINT assets (intersecting LOBs) then engaged by a pop up shooter?
One could theoretically use any signal it sends out to home in on it, but I am unaware of anything existing with the range it was likely fired from. My last assignment in my branch was a Hawk unit, so I’m not exactly up to date on hardware. 😂
Eric – as much as I’d like to “know how they did it”…..I hope they don’t tell us – nor the Rooskies – and go do it again, and again, and again……..
If true, this represents a major victory for the Ukrainian military and a huge embarrassment for Putin and his thugs.
Looking into details. The Sea of Azov is a relatively small area, with its widest point measuring about 100 nautical miles—almost entirely within the range of the Patriot PAC-2 surface-to-air missile system, for instance. Ukrainian forces targeted both an Il-22 and an A-50 aircraft that were operating “within range”. The A-50 crashed into the Azov Sea along the Ukrainian coast, while the Il-22 sustained damage and casualties, eventually landing in the Russian city of Anapa.
Radio communications intercepted from the Il-22 crew included Mayday calls and requests for emergency medical aid before their landing in Anapa, approximately 120 nautical miles from the point of impact on the Russian side. Ukrainian SAM systems leave little room for maneuvering for Russian aircraft. Advantage Ukraine.
I saw a reasonable explanation from an unknown source that the Ukrainians used forward deployed Patriot and S300 systems working in tandem to alternately keep the missile on target while avoiding being found.
They snuck forward, emplaced, shot the missile, did some electronic dancing, hit the target, and scooted out of dodge.
That’s a lot of skill and work and bravery, ladies and gentlemen. Especially for a bunch of “rear with the gear HIMAD pukes” as we used to call them. 💪💪💪