At the Belarusian airfield in Machulishchi, a Russian A50-U aircraft was damaged by explosions, the source of which is still not known for certain. He was engaged in radar detection of air targets over the territory of Ukraine.
The Russian aerospace forces had only 6 such aircraft. A veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, reserve major of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and military expert Alexei Getman spoke about this on Channel 24 .
What does the destruction of the A50-U mean?
The interlocutor explained that the radar stations conducting reconnaissance work like human vision – their radar waves cannot bend beyond the horizon line.
Therefore, the higher we put such a station, the farther it will be able to see. Thus, the A50-U is a radar station that is raised very high in the air,” explains Alexey Getman.
According to him, this plane is not very modern, but the station itself is quite expensive. Therefore, it can observe aerial targets hundreds of kilometers away, depending on the size of those targets.
“What was it used for? First of all, these are electronic warfare equipment. That is, it is electronic intelligence. When our fighters or attack aircraft took off, they saw them and corrected the flights of their own aircraft,” says the major of the reserve of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Alexey Getman explained the meaning of A50-U: watch the video
He could also lay out routes for cruise missiles so that they could bypass air defenses. This is not about holes in it, but about places where air defense systems are not so dense.
This means that now it has become more difficult for them to intercept our aircraft and control the missiles with which they attack us. This is not a simple aircraft, it is an airborne radar station that can work very professionally. Alexey Getman emphasized.
At the same time, he is convinced that the Russians will not be able to repair this aircraft. All thanks to the sanctions that closed Russia's access to Western technology.
Destruction of the A50-U
- On February 26, two explosions were heard at the military airfield in Machulishchi. According to BYPOL, they damaged the Russian A-50 aircraft, including the front and center parts, avionics and radar antenna.
- Belarusian partisans took responsibility for the explosions. Moreover, they promised that there would be a sequel.
- British intelligence explained that the aircraft was very important to Russian air operations. He supplied the enemy troops with a picture of the airspace.
