On Sunday, February 26, a Russian A-50 aircraft with modification U was damaged at the Machulishchi airfield near Minsk. Russia has only nine A-50 aircraft, and only six with modification U.
The damage to the aircraft was reported by the Telegram channel of the OSINT group Belaruski Gayun.
Tyler Rogoway, editor-in-chief of The War Zone, spoke about the importance of the A-50 for Russia and what such a loss could mean.
He notes that it is difficult to confirm the attack on the airfield, but if it happened, it would be a significant loss for the Russian air force and, depending on how it was carried out, could be a sign of the development of the front and what will happen in the full-scale war that has been going on for a year.
Satellite imagery from February 19 shows the A-50 in its usual location at the Belarusian airbase.
Various sources claim that the plane was attacked by a drone and damaged, if not destroyed. There are also claims that it was done by partisans in Belarus.
– A-50s are very low-density assets that are in high demand and are one of Russia’s main advantages over Ukraine in terms of air warfare. The A-50 provides general air surveillance and air command and control,” Rogovey points out.
He also adds that A-50s provide critical “look down” radar surveillance capability for Russian air operations.
Thus, not only can they create an “air picture” deep inside Ukraine, but this also includes detecting low-flying aircraft that cannot be seen by remote ground radars.
Rogovey adds that even taking one A-50 out of service, even for a limited period of time, would be a significant loss for the Russian Air Force.
He said that with Ukraine likely to receive new long-range strike capabilities, Russian aircraft may soon be at greater risk on the ground throughout the region, but the presence of guerrilla groups operating in close proximity to where they are based is an even greater threat.
What happened?
On February 26, explosions occurred at the Machulishchi airfield in Belarus, which is located 12 km from Minsk.
According to the BYPOL Telegram channel, the explosions damaged the front and center parts of the plane, as well as the avionics and radar antenna.
Belarusski Gayun, citing sources, reports that the A-50 was attacked by two drones. In addition, it is claimed that the security forces managed to find a bag with control panels from the drones.
Source: The War Zone