Incredibly, the Russian air force has lost another one of its rare Beriev A-50M/U Mainstay radar early-warning planes. Video that circulated online on Friday reportedly depicts the A-50’s burning wreckage in Krasnodar Krai, in Russia just east of the Sea of Azov.
The location of the crash, at least 120 miles from the front line in southern Ukraine, could indicate the four-engine, 15-person radar plane either suffered a mechanical failure—or took a hit while operating closer to the front and tried to make it back to its base in Krasnodar before exploding.
For what it’s worth, the Ukrainian air force claimed it shot down the A-50 with assistance from the intelligence directorate in Kyiv.
Either way, it’s a devastating blow for the battered Russian air force. The air arm has lost, mostly to Ukrainian long-range surface-to-air missiles—American-made Patriot PAC-2s, in particular—nine of its best planes in just a month. Including an A-50 that the Ukrainians hit over the Sea of Azov in January.
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Fuck russia. And send the republican traitor filth to fight for their motherland.
As much as the airframe loss hurts, the loss of 15 experienced airmen might hurt worse. Russian air ops “are constrained by the availability of pilots with sufficient experience to carry out key missions,” analysts Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds wrote in a recent study for the Royal United Services Institute in London.
maybe the pilot situation is causing the high rate of airframe losses recently
It’s definitely not helping - especially since Russian planes are quite difficult to fly. Most of them have zero automation
That’s sad considering their shuttle could basically land itself. I guess those engineers were on the Ukrainian side
To paraphrase Maciej Cegłowski on the Space Shuttle, when the Russians steal your design and then add safety features, then you know you fucked up.
I mean, Russia was pretty shit overall and they’ve been trying to change history books and inventions for something in russia. Computers famously where made in Hungary, Rockets and basically anyhting that properly flew in ukraine…and so on.
The best parts of Russia always leave.
40 built total, some exported with roughly 7 active in the Russian air force according to Wikipedia. Cost to build around $330M.
From what I understand the reality after the last one was downed is that there were probably 4 left active with the rest being used for parts because of sanctions.
Absolutely savage work.
Slava Ukraini!
With just two shots, Ukraine has cost Russia more money with these two A-50s than Trump was recently fined in his New York case.
Yes, but governments spending money gets recollected as tax and cycles through the economy until it is all taken as tax, saved, or used to buy foreign currency.
Trump got a massive fine hes never going to pay.
His property will though, and that will be much more expensive to his who that the fine.
Russia loses a lot. Keep losing political opponents and now losing planes.
This plane fell out of a fifth floor window
At Soviet Boeing, window falls out of plane.
…and at the American one.
“Sir, our Radar plane has stopped showing up on the Radar”
“Suddenly nothing is showing up on the radar.”
I’m unsure how to take the title.
Is it implying some random country is shooting them down with a “I wonder who?/s” kind of tone?
Or rather a “Russia is poorly trying to hide the magnitude of their military power”?
Either Ukraine or Russia(accidental friendly fire) shot it down. It was probably Ukraine, risking one its few precious patriots and moving them close to the front. Ukraine is trying to shape the battlefield for the arrival of the F-16, so shooting down flying radar planes is very desirable.
Generally these radar planes are not only rare but extremely valuable for Russia’s war efforts.
There is a video of this plane being shot down, word on the street is it was hit with a combination of Ukrainian anti air and a Patriot missile.
It drops countermeasures for a while, appears to stave off the first missile but can’t with the second.
I’m unsure how to take the title.
You know, usually the answer to such a question, as is the case here, is answered simply by reading the article.
Even the blurb in this one makes it obvious that it was American made Ukrainian missiles that have been widely responsible for this, but that they don’t know whether this went down to a mechanical failure. And it seems that the gist of this is that they’ve now lost 22% (2 of 9) of this fleet which is important part of their air force, and that the loss of the trained troops might even be more devastating part of the loss.
Three. Prigojin boys got one A50 down.
Whoopsie
Is anyone keeping score? How many are left? This is the same plane Belarusian saboteurs blew up towards the beginning of the war right? I seem to remember at the time they were saying Russia had maybe 7 in operation? I could have that wrong. It was a low number at any rate. And they were also saying these are effectively irreplaceable given the amount of tech that has to go into them and all the sanctioning on electronics. Articles suggested losing it was comparable to the loss of that Black Sea flagship that was sunk around the same time frame.
We need a checklist like there is for Russian warships
It had so much rarity value!
Like all those Pokémon cards
A rare Beriev A-50M/U uppeared!
For what it’s worth, the Ukrainian air force claimed it shot down the A-50 with assistance from the intelligence directorate in Kyiv.
So with assistance of the US / Nato intelligence services.
Either way, it’s a devastating blow for the battered Russian air force. The air arm has lost, mostly to Ukrainian long-range surface-to-air missiles—American-made Patriot PAC-2s, in particular
So US missiles.
This one probably was a Ukrainian (pre-war stock) S-200 SAM - it was wayyy beyond Patriot range this time.
If what you’re saying is true, I think it’s pretty refreshing that US military and intelligence services are doing something good for a change.
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Is this the 2nd or 3rd?
Second that was shot down.
Third if you count the one that was bombed by drones in Belarus on an airfield.
2nd, but they ostensibly had 7 in active service. the Ukranians shot another already; and chances are there’s some that are being used as parts donors for the others and so are unable to fly.
It’s hard to keep track but I believe this is the second.
ayyyylmao
Oh thank God they found it! And here I thought the headline said they had lost it.
