ANALYSIS – Earlier this month, I wrote an article entitled Huge Russian AWACS Radar Planes Key To Fighters Seeing Ukrainian Targets. I also explained how these massive A-50Ms with their circular radar domes, are similar to western AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control) aircraft
In addition to the A-50Ms, the Russians have the latest variant, the A-50U (NATO code name: ‘Mainstay'), that among other improvements, can be refueled midair, extending their range and loiter time.
Most of the Russian radar aircraft are A-50Ms.
Ukrainian aviation expert and blogger Vitaly Trubnikov told POLITICO:
“A-50 can transmit the coordinates of targets to fighters whose radar is less powerful and cannot see at such distances. Also, it can conduct radio-electronic reconnaissance (EPR), for example, detect the coordinates of enemy ground radars. It is also equipped with electronic warfare equipment. In addition to all this, a specially trained crew that knows how to manage all this complex and expensive equipment is also valuable,” he added.
In my earlier piece I concluded that these huge Russian radar planes should be priority targets for the Ukrainian military, since they are critical to Russia's air superiority.
And NATO should be helping Ukraine take them down.
Well, apparently someone was listening, as Ukraine just announced it had shot down one Beriev A-50 over the Sea of Azov, and severely damaged an IL-22M command aircraft that was shadowing the huge radar plane.
As Chrsitopher Stewart in the Kyiv Post reported:
Ukraine's Military Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has confirmed two high-value Russian airborne command aircraft were shot down on Sunday evening, cutting into the Kremlin's ability to see the situation in the air.
Such aircraft are considered high-value assets because of the force multiplying capability it provides by giving situational awareness of the battlespace to commanders as well pilots operating in combat zones.
They are expensive to produce because of heavy use of electronics and other modifications to support its radar and other sensors, and a large array of radios and other communication equipment.
The large flight crews represent many years of expensive experience, making such losses even more significant.
Forbes noted that: “The jet-propelled A-50—one of nine A-50M/Us in service—fell into the Sea of Azov in flames, likely killing everyone on board: potentially 15 people including high-ranking officers and highly-trained radar specialists.”
The outlet added:
The propeller-driven Il-22, with up to 10 people aboard, managed to land in Anapa on the Russian side of the Sea of Azov's southern coast. “Urgently requesting ambulance and fire crew,” the crew radioed as they wrestled their shrapnel-holed plane toward the air base.
David Axe also noted in Forbes that:
Photos of the damaged Il-22, snapped after it landed, illustrate the extent of the damage—a mangled tail fin and fuselage—and also reveal the plane's exact variant. It's an Il-22M11, and it might be a total write-off.
Not to be confused with a 1946 protype Russian jet bomber with the same designation, the current Ilyushin (NATO code name: “Coot”) is a turboprop powered airborne command post based on the Il-18 airliner, noted Stewart.
Interestingly, in June 2023, the Wagner Russian mercenary group, or Private Military Company (PMC) shot down a Russian Il-22M inside Russia during its leader's aborted Kremlin mutiny, killing all 10 onboard.
At the time, the U.K. Ministry of Defense assessed the loss of the aircraft as being significant, stating: “The Il-22M is part of a relatively small fleet of up to 12 aircraft, heavily utilized for both airborne command and control, and radio relay tasks.”
So, the loss of two different command and control aircraft in one day is a huge loss for the Russian Aerospace Force. Meanwhile, per the Ukrainian air force quip on X, “Who did this?”
The answer, it seems, is Ukraine's 90 mile range Patriot PAC-2 air defense missiles provided by the United States.
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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