Downing of A-50: British intelligence explains how the loss of one plane will affect the war in Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
The loss of russia's key A-50 radar detection and control aircraft could limit russian air operations.
The destruction of one of the few russian radar detection and control aircraft A-50 will lead to a restriction of the russian aviation's area of operation. This is stated in the daily intelligence report released by the British Ministry of Defense, UNN reports .
Details
Analysts note that on January 14, the A-50 almost certainly exploded and subsequently crashed in the western part of the Sea of Azov. In addition, the Ukrainian Armed Forces damaged a russian Il-22M aircraft, but it landed at a nearby russian airfield.
Experts are convinced that Ukraine's successful downing of the A-50 is "of great importance", particularly for the situation at the front.
It is likely that russia will now be forced to reconsider the issue of limiting the areas of operation of its aircraft. The A-50 is crucial for russian aerial surveillance of the battlefield
Addendum
According to British intelligence, russia has eight A-50 aircraft at its disposal, which could probably compensate for a direct operational strike.
At the same time, analysts are confident that the increased workload on the aircraft combined with the loss of crew is likely to limit the long-term sustainability of the mission.
Recall
On January 14, it was reported that the Ukrainian military had shot down two aircraft, an A-50 and an Il-22, which were in the waters of the Sea of Azov.
Subsequently, on January 15, the downing of the planes was confirmed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi. In particular, he shared a clip from a radar screen that appeared to show the planes disappearing over the sea and thanked the Air Force for "a perfectly planned and executed operation in the Azov region."
