Decoding the Russian weapon used to shoot down 24 Ukrainian planes in 5 days

Russian Beriev A-50 early warning aircraft (Photo: Getty).

Yury Knutov, a Russian military historian and political commentator, told Sputnik that the Beriev A-50 airborne early warning aircraft played a key role in Russia's air defense system in shooting down 24 Ukrainian warplanes.

According to him, Russia could have used the S-400 or S-300 long-range air defense system, in coordination with the Beriev A-50, to destroy the Ukrainian plane.

"Thanks to its high-altitude flight capabilities, the A-50 can detect enemy aircraft taking off from secret military airfields or closed Ukrainian airfields, even from highways," he said.

With the S-300 missile system, it can "reach a certain area thanks to the inertial guidance system or commands sent directly from the multifunctional radar station of the A-50 aircraft".

"Then the interceptor missile begins to search for the target, locates it and finally destroys it. The range of this system is very large, up to 400km or even further," said Mr. Knutov.

Russian S-400 air defense system (Photo: TASS).

He stressed that the fact that Russian air defense systems shot down 24 Ukrainian planes within 5 days showed "the effective use of air defense missile systems and a change in Russia's air defense tactics".

“This, together with the use of A-50 aircraft, allows us to solve the problem not only of detecting targets, but also of destroying them with high accuracy,” Knutov said.

“This will force NATO countries to consider whether Ukraine really needs F-16s, which could face the same fate as Ukraine’s Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters,” he added.

The comments came after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said he now had an air defense system capable of shooting down 24 Ukrainian planes, including Su-27s and MiG-29s, in five days.

"The current situation shows that the enemy's (Ukraine's) capabilities are decreasing... They are panicking. We know their tactics, we know their attack and retreat plans. We now have weapons systems that can shoot down 24 planes in five days," Shoigu said.

Mr. Shoigu did not specify which air defense shield, nor the related features that helped it shoot down the Ukrainian plane. Kiev has not commented on the information that the Russian Minister mentioned.

Observers say that after more than a year of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, neither side has gained control of the airspace.

Kiev has repeatedly called on the West to provide modern air defense systems and US-made F-16 fighter jets. The US has given the green light for its allies to supply F-16s to Ukraine.

Russia warned that this move by the US and its allies would only escalate the conflict, leading to the risk of direct confrontation between Russia and the West. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow would consider the West's provision of F-16s to Ukraine a threat that would force Russia to respond.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/giai-ma-vu-khi-nga-dung-ban-roi-24-may-bay-ukraine-trong-vong-5-ngay-20231026152034667.htm