Russia is believed to be the first to use the A-50 early warning and control aircraft (NATO classification Mainstay D).
Such information is at the disposal of the intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain.
What tasks can the A-50 aircraft perform?
Britain’s Ministry of Defense believes the plane is helping the Russian military identify targets over Ukraine for its SA-21 long-range ground-based air defense missile system.
So it complements the A-50’s primary mission of fighter coordination.
Compared to the conventional ground-based SA-21 radar, the A-50 can use its radar to detect enemy aircraft at long distances, as the elevation allows it to capture objects further along the curvature of the earth.
Why did the Russian Federation start using A-50 aircraft?
British intelligence suggests that Russia is likely to have accelerated the integration of A-50 aircraft and SA-21 systems in part because of concerns about the prospect of Ukraine deploying Western-provided fighter jets.
Moreover, in the intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain, it is considered a realistic possibility that Russia will take a greater risk.
For example, the British Ministry of Defense does not rule out that the A-50 can fly closer to the front line to effectively fulfill its new role.
The full-scale war in Ukraine has been going on for the 632nd day.
You can monitor the situation in cities on the interactive map of hostilities in Ukraine and the map of air alerts in Ukraine.
Source: Ministry of Defense