More than 30 aircraft per year: what did the Armed Forces "lured" the planes of the Russian Federation into the Patriot reach
Qualified engineers were involved in the creation of a capable division who restored launchers and missiles. The first operation performed by experienced officers who managed the SAC system both in the USSR and in independent Ukraine was carried out in the fall of 2023. Then the Ukrainians tried to knock down the DLS A-50 aircraft, which patrolled over the Azov Sea. But the missiles did not hit because the goal changed the course.
According to the officer GUR, despite the failure, it was an important experience. Then the Division was 40 km from the front line and was vulnerable to Russian attacks. However, the military promptly hid the starting installations and evacuated from position. On January 14, 2024, Ukrainians knocked down a Russian aircraft with the help of Patriot.
According to Lieutenant Colonel of Ukraine, it was very risky to deliver this complex to the front line, because the system was transported on several large cars. Patriot hit the Russian A-50 aircraft when he, together with the IL-22 bomber, crossed the Sea of Azov about 150 kilometers from the front line. The Russians believed that they were out of reach of the missiles, so they did not have time to react to a threat.
To do this, there were less than two minutes in the crews of enemy aircraft. A-50 fell into the sea, and IL-22 carried out an emergency landing at an airfield in anapa with the wounded on board. The then spokesman for the Air Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat reported that the bomber had received very serious damage. The loss of the A-50, along with the crew, became a powerful blow to the air forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
As of early 2024, there were six workers in Russia and its construction costs $ 330 million. The retired British Victory, Greg Begwell believes that the loss of the crew is as critical as the loss of the aircraft itself, because the pilots had ten years of experience and could train the following generations. At that time, Russia took A-50 beyond the reach of Patriot, however, on February 23, the C-200 rockets hit DRLS about 170 kilometers from the front line.
Russia also brought out the rest of the A-50 from the Azov Sea and the occupied territories, significantly reducing the possibility of radar intelligence. To knock down these planes, the Ukrainian military "lured" the Su-34 into the Patriot reach using the S-300 system with the Radar on as a "bait". When Su-34 was approaching her, the Ukrainians simultaneously attacked them with two SPR systems-and Russian crews were not ready for it. Two aircraft were shot down by S-300 SCR, four-Patriot.
On April 19, the military was shot down for the first time the T-22m3 Bomber C-200. The aircraft had to fire Ukraine with winged rockets, but crashed in the Krasnogvardi district of the Stavropol region of Russia, about 300 kilometers from the front. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation denied the attack of Ukraine, but reported that one member of the TU-22M3 crew disappeared during the disaster due to "technical malfunctions".
The Air Force spokesman Ilya Yevlash noted that after this operation, the Russians began to use less strategic aviation in the Black Sea. According to Greg Begwell, Ukrainian operations have significantly damaged the Russian Federation Alert systems. He notes that the Russians will learn about launching rockets or drones 10-15 minutes later, so it will be much more difficult for them to intercept Ukrainian attacks.
In addition, due to fewer A-50 aircraft and destroyed radar stations, Russians will be much less likely to expose the Air Force of Ukraine. We will remind, the deputy chief of staff of the 10th Command of Air Anti-Army Army Colonel Rosanna Klemente assured that in January 2024 it was Ukraine, not the Russian Federation with "friendly fire", shot down the Russian aircraft of a long-range radar detection of A-50U.