What is the model of the Russian spy plane shot down by Ukraine?

Ukrainian authorities announced this Friday the downing in the Sea of ​​Azov of a Russian Air Force Beriev A-50 model early warning and control aircraft, an aircraft used by Moscow to detect air defense systems and coordinate attacks. ,

Ukrainian intelligence indicated that the plane may have fallen in the Russian city of Yeisk on the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov, and believed that its downing was “another serious blow to the counter-terrorist capability and capabilities of Moscow.”

Impressive Beriev A-50 It is a “huge flight data processing centre” used to “detect and track air, ground and sea targets”.As described by the news agency Artificial satellite In a recently released report.

It is a modification of the Ilyushin Il-76 transport converted into an “early warning and air control” aircraft. It began flying in 1984 and was manufactured until 1992. Ukrainian intelligence estimates confirm this Cost approximately $350 million.

His There is a huge radar installed on the aircraft’s fuselage It can detect and monitor 150 targets at the same time within a radius of 230 kilometers. For larger targets such as aircraft carriers, the range reaches 400 kilometers. Too It communicates with the command centers of the Russian armed forces and can direct the operations of up to 12 combat aircraft itself.

Its range is 7,500 kilometers In-flight refueling capabilitySo that you can maintain your identity activities for a long time.

According to independent sources, the USSR built 40 of these aircraft but some of them were sold, so less than 9 aircraft remain in service in Russia.

The A-50 is a Russian reconnaissance aircraft that is equivalent to the AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft used by NATO.

Moscow made no official comment on Friday about the downing of the plane, but officials in the Krasnodar region in southern Russia said firefighters were at the crash site, without giving further details.

Ukraine last claimed to have shot down an A-50 aircraft in January. Also on the Sea of ​​Azov, located between Russia and Ukraine.

Videos circulating on social media show several flashes of light in the dark night sky, followed by another video showing a large fire in a rural area.

Krasnodar regional authorities said firefighting units were responding to the blaze. “Approximately 250 square meters” And no local homes were in danger.

“Two aircraft” were involved in the accident, but they did not specify which equipment it was. “At present the fire is being extinguished. Law enforcement and special services are also working at the scene,” he said.

Ukrainian army has achieved Shoot down enemy planes with your artillery And in air combat, but also in the framework of notorious sabotage campaigns against airfields on Russian territory, including the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

United Kingdom intelligence services indicated in January that the Beriev A-50 – known as A-50 main base In NATO terminology – “a convenient element of Russian operations in Ukraine, providing early warning of threats and functionality as a command and control post.”

“Compared to the SA-21’s ground radar, the Mainstay can use its radar to detect enemy aircraft at greater ranges, because its altitude allows it to have a peripheral vision beyond the curvature of the Earth,” he said. Argued, Russia “may have accelerated the integration of the mainstay and SA-21” before it could be maintained because of its “concern” about “the possibility” that Ukraine would deploy fighters delivered by the West.

(With information from AFP and Europapress)