Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has stated that a Russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft was shot down on 23 February near the town of Primorsko-Akhtarsk on the Sea of Azov, and after that, five more Russian aircraft were withdrawn from combat operations.
Details: DIU stated that the last take-off of the A-50U took place on 23 February at 15:50 from the Akhtubinsk airfield and was supposed to carry out Russia’s terrorist missions near the settlements of Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Zernograd.
The abrupt cessation of operation of a Shmel radar system, which is installed in the A-50U, was recorded by DIU’s radio reconnaissance stations at 18:45.
The fire damage to the upgraded A-50U is also confirmed by radio intercepts of the Russian Su-35 cover crew.
One of the Russian pilots said on the radio that he had observed air defence systems in operation, a flash and explosions.
Quote: “An additional sign of the success of the joint operation by DIU and the Air Force is the order to terminate the missions for two Su-35 aircraft as well as three Su-34 aircraft belonging to the Russian Aerospace Forces, which were flying missions near the village of Millerovo – some of them planned to conduct airstrikes near Avdiivka.”
A Russian A-50 Mainstay airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) jet and an Il-22M airborne command post were successfully engaged by Ukrainian air defense over the Sea of Azov Sunday, according to a Ukrainian legislator who heads a prominent defense committee, as well as Ukrainian media.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has not officially commented on this claim, which The War Zone cannot independently verify. If true, losing these two command and control aircraft would be a major blow for Russia because only a handful of each exists. Beyond that, it will make flying within the same proximity of Ukrainian lines highly dangerous, effectively pushing these assets back. This would follow an anti-access counter-air campaign that Ukraine has been waging against Russian military aircraft in recent weeks using long-range Patriot air defense systems.
“Around 9:00 p.m., Ukrainian units fired at two Russian air force aircraft, namely the A-50 DRLO aircraft and the IL-22 bomber [inaccurate description], which were over the waters of the Sea of Azov,” Deputy Chairman of the Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence in the Verkhovna Rada, Yuriy Mysiagin, stated on Telegram.
The A-50 was shot down, and the IL-22 “was in the air and tried to reach the nearest airfield, but it disappeared from the radar after the descent began, in the Kerch area,” Mysiagin said, later updating his post to say the second aircraft was an IL-22M.
“According to information from sources within the Ukrainian Defense Forces, it has been revealed that a military aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces, A-50, was shot down, and an IL-22M11 with registration number 75106 was damaged,” the Ukrainian RBC media outlet reported on Sunday.
An Il-22M Coot-B, with spurious markings suggesting it is an Il-18 transport., Anna Zvereva/Wikimedia Commons
The incidents took place in the western part of the Azov Sea, according to RBC.
The A-50 “was downed immediately upon entering the patrol zone near Kyrylivka around 9:10 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. on January 14, RBC reported.
“The A-50 disappeared from radars and ceased responding to tactical aviation requests. Subsequently, the pilot of a Russian Su-30 aircraft detected a fire and the descent of an unidentified airborne vehicle.”
The IL-22M11 was on patrol in the Strilkove area and was eventually shot down along the coast of the Azov Sea at around 9 p.m. on Jan. 14, according to RBC.
“After being hit, the aircraft intended to make an emergency landing in Anapa, requesting evacuation and calling for ambulance and firefighting services.”
The outlet published what it said were communications between the stricken IL-22M and the Anapa airport dispatcher. The aircraft planned to land in Anapa and requested evacuation, calling an “ambulance” and a fire truck
The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to comment on the claims that two of its rare airborne command platforms were hit, but well-connected Russian milbloggers bemoaned the losses.
“For the Il-18/22, the situation has already become clear, the plane has landed, but there are casualties (the nature of the damage and their cause are not entirely clear),” the Colonelcassad Telegram channel wrote.
“The enemy declares the defeat of A-50 and Il-22 of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the skies over the Sea of Azov,” the Military Informant Telegram channel wrote. “The damaged Il-22 was able to reach the airfield and land, as evidenced by leaked intercepted conversations on an open frequency, but with the A-50, apparently, everything is much sadder.”
“If the loss of the aircraft is confirmed, it will be a huge loss for domestic aviation, since there are only a few such AWACS aircraft in service and are constantly in short supply at the front,” Military Informant complained. “By the way, after the loss of three Su-34s at once from Patriot fire, also in the Azov Sea area, very little time passed.”
If these aircraft were lost at all, and beyond the very real possibility that this was a case of friendly fire, which has happened before, Ukraine shooting down aircraft in the western portion of the Sea of Azov would be a major development. It’s worth noting that the Sea of Azov sits between Crimea to the west, Russia to the east, and eastern Ukraine to the north. The Kerch Bridge and the entrance into the greater Black Sea is to the south.
Google Earth
A shoot down would also fit with the aforementioned highly targeted campaign the Ukrainian Air Force has been waging against Russian combat aviation that has included multiple long-range downings of tactical aircraft. These anti-access tactics have resulted in effectively pushing back Russian airpower and degrading its ability to launch direct attacks and even those using standoff glide bombs, which have wreaked havoc on Ukrainian towns.
The first use of these tactics — pushing forward Patriot batteries to reach deep into Russian-controlled airspace — occurred last May, with the downing of multiple Russian aircraft over Russian territory that borders northeastern Ukraine. Last December, similar tactics were used against tactical jets flying over the northwestern Black Sea. But taking down Flankers and Fencers is one thing, swatting down an A-50 is another.
The A-50s are extremely low-density, high-demand assets. From there perch high-up in the flight levels, they provide a look-down air picture that reaches deep into Ukrainian-controlled territory. They can play a key role in spotting incoming cruise missile and drone attacks, as well as low-flying fighter sorties. They also provide command and control and situational awareness for Russian fighters and SAM batteries. There are only around ten of these aircraft in existence and it is thought that significantly fewer — around half that number — are operational at any given time and their replacement has been slow to materialize. These aircraft have been targeted by forces allied with Ukraine before. So downing one would be a big score, as would taking out an IL-22M, which are also limited in number and provide critical radio relay and command and control functions.
But above single counter-air victories, this would be a much bigger deal if it indeed occurred, as it would deny reconnaissance aircraft access to critical areas of operation. In essence, the threat of being shot down would push them farther back, away from Ukrainian territory. This could drastically degrade the quality of intelligence and command and control they provide. Even fighters, which are harder targets than lumbering surveillance aircraft, may now also be at risk far from the front lines in this area.
From Robotyne, which is really the closest Ukraine operates to the Sea of Azov, it is roughly 55 miles to that body of water. Other towns along the bank of the Dnipro River that is Ukrainian-held territory are slight a bit farther, but it all depends on exactly where the targeted aircraft were at the time of the engagement. Considering risking a Patriot system right at the front is unlikely, and these airborne assets were likely orbiting at least some ways out over the water, this shot was more likely to have been around 100 miles, give or take a couple dozen miles.
So, if indeed this did occur, the status quo for the air war over Ukraine may have made a significant shift in Kyiv’s favor.
Vladimir Putin made a rare trip to the Middle East today in an attempt to invigorate his relationship with select Gulf nations. He first stopped in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and all along the way his Il-96PU jet was escorted by Russian Su-35S Flankers.
Trips outside of Russia, and especially far from its borders, have been rare for Putin since his all-out invasion of Ukraine kicked off nearly two years ago and a subsequent arrest warrant was filed by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against him. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed the Rome Statute, the international agreement that underpins the ICC, but has not ratified it. Saudi Arabia, which Putin also visited today, has neither signed nor ratified it.
The armed Su-35 escort can be seen as a sign of the paranoia surrounding his movements abroad, as well as a show of force to the region, and, potentially, a sales tactic, too. The four Su-35s were armed with R-77 and R-73 air-to-air missiles for the mission and touched down in Abu Dhabi along with the presidential Il-96.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FNrYud1T74
Russia has provided fighter escort for VVIP moving over tense areas before, and has even used its fighters to work as infrared decoys against potentially heat-seeking missile attacks for Putin’s arrival in Syria. But sending four fighters to a foreign country via multiple sovereign airspaces with Putin’s Il-96 is new.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated the following about the Su-35’s escort mission:
“During the flight of the presidential airplane to the landing in Abu Dhabi, the head of state was escorted by four Su-35S fighter jets of the Russian Aerospace Forces. These fighters carried standard armament of various classes. The Su-35S took off from an operational airfield in Russia in difficult weather conditions with heavy rain and gusty winds. The fighters were piloted by top-tier pilots.”
Special permission for the armed escort flight was obtained to fly into the airspace of countries along the route, which included time over the Capsian Sea and Iran, according to Russian media.
The Su-35S is Russia’s most advanced Flanker derivative and is seen as a top potential export within its tactical aircraft catalog. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), in particular, has shown interest in the Su-35, with talk of a deal being close to purchase the type for years, although that has not materialized. The UAE has drastically upgraded its air arm, starting in the mid-2000s with the F-16E/F Desert Falcon deliveries and then moving on to purchases of the Dassault Rafale. Today, upgraded Mirage 2000-9s round out the country’s fighter inventory.
Factoring all this in, the grand arrival of Su-35s alongside Putin definitely had an arms export facet to it as well as a security one. Still, U.S. sanctions that target buyers of Russian weapons would make a sale of Su-35s to the UAE troublesome. There are also major issues with sourcing parts for Russian aircraft around the globe as the country’s war in Ukraine is sucking up many of them and separate sanctions against Russia’s defense and aviation industries are making it harder for the country to produce new parts. The severity of this situation differs from weapon system to weapon system though.
It’s also worth noting that Iran, which does not have to worry about U.S. sanctions for buying Russian military hardware, still seems set to receive its own Su-35s soon. This would mark the arrival of the type in the region on a permanent basis and would represent the most capable aircraft in Iranian service by a huge margin.
As for Putin’s reception in the UAE and then in Saudi Arabia, in a post-Ukraine all-out invasion reality, it was very warm. Among the pomp, the UAE greeted Putin with a flyover by the country’s Fursan aerobatic team, with their Italian-made MB-339A jet trainers spewing the colors of the Russian flag. Russian flags lined the route Putin’s limo took with a full state guard reception along the way. It’s worth noting that the UAE is currently hosting the COP climate change conference. Putin did not attend that United Nations-sponsored event and the timing of his visit was certainly suspect.
https://x.com/clashreport/status/1732457865019814283?s=20We will have to wait and see if the Su-35 escort becomes a staple of future travel as Putin spreads his wings after nearly two years of limited travel abroad.
