russia is likely to return Soviet M-55 aircraft to service - British intelligence

russia is likely to return Soviet M-55 aircraft to service - British intelligence

Kyiv  •  UNN

November 19 2023, 03:09 PM • 3439 views

British intelligence believes that russia may return Soviet M-55 aircraft to service. This aircraft was used for research purposes, but was spotted with a military reconnaissance capsule on board.

KYIV. November 19. UNN. According to the UK Ministry of Defense Intelligence, Russia is considering the option of returning the Soviet M-55 reconnaissance aircraft. The British Ministry of Defense wrote about this in the social network X, UNN reports .

Quote russia is probably considering the possibility of returning to service the Soviet-era high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft M-55MYSTIC B. With an operational ceiling of more than 70,000 feet, the aircraft has recently been used as a research platform for studying the Earth. However, it was seen carrying a military reconnaissance pod designed for use on Russian fighter jets

according to a British intelligence report.

Details

It is noted that a critical flaw in russia's procurement strategy is its inability to create an adequate intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability, or ISTAR for short.

Because it is critical for timely and accurate pursuit of targets by air, sea, and ground forces, "There is a realistic possibility that the M-55 will return to frontline service to augment russia's limited ISTAR capabilities over Ukraine."

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