ANALYSIS – The Russians have lost a lot of combat planes in their ongoing invasion of Ukraine, but so have the Ukrainians. Still, the Russians with their integrated air defenses and larger, more modern air force have the upper hand.
They also have a few AWACS “flying radars” to keep their jets on task. Or in the Russian case, AEW&C planes, primarily the huge A-50 aircraft.
The Russians call it Airborne Early Warning and Control. In the west it's known as AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System), as installed in the ubiquitous E-3 Sentry and Japanese Boeing E-767 aircraft.
Estimates are that the Russians currently own about seven or eight of the A-50 aircraft. The most current model is the A-50U “Mainstay.” Russia relies heavily on the small fleet of these advanced air radar planes.
Without them, Russian fighters such as the Su-35 or Mig 31M are much more limited in seeing targets.
A Russian A-50 is visible in satellite imagery of Taganrog South Airport back in May 2023. Taganrog Air Base, located three miles north of this site, is one of the bases used by Russian aircraft operating over Ukraine.
Both AWACS and AEW&C aircraft radars are used to cover enemy territory, but Western AWACS technology is reportedly more sophisticated than AEW&C technology, boasting a full 360-degree rotation of its radar dome versus 270 for others.
NATO hopes that Ukraine can gain an aerial advantage with the arrival of U.S.-made, formerly Dutch Air Force, F-16 fighters.
Some believe they have already arrived and were critical to the downing of at least four top of the line Russian Su-34s in the last 10 days. Others believe they were downed by Ukrainian Patriot air defense systems.
Or they could have worked in tandem to ambush and take down the high-flying Russian aircraft. But without countering the Russian A-50s, their chance of success is limited.
Surprisingly, Russian media recently did a piece on the A-50 AEW&C aircraft employed by the Russian Aerospace Forces [VKS], rare publicity for the Kremlin's ‘flying radars.'
Bulgarianmilitary.com reported:
The uncharacteristic openness about the A-50's role in the Ukraine war and the performance attributes discussed in the piece make this subject significantly interesting.
As per the insights from Russian experts, the A-50 radar aircraft can reportedly identify a multitude of ground targets. The scope ranges from immobile structures and missile systems to tanks and self-propelled guns up to 300 kilometers away. Moreover, it can relay this information to the operators of missile systems like “Iskander-M” and “Tornado-S”.
These expert assessments suggest that such an ‘intelligence strike group' could potentially track even the M142 HIMARS.
Further, the Russians have claimed their Su-35S and MiG-31BM fighter jets are capable of discharging long-range R-37M air-to-air missiles over a distance of 300 kilometers, guided solely by the A-50. This detail is critical, particularly when considering strategies to enhance our aviation capabilities.
However, back in February 2023, Belarusian partisans reportedly blew up a Russian A-50 early warning and control aircraft at Machulishchy airfield near Minsk, damaging its radars and sensor.
If NATO wants to significantly change the air balance in this war, it should help Ukraine take out as many of these huge Russian radar planes as possible.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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