(Dan Tri) – Ukrainian officials announced that the country attacked a Russian aircraft repair facility, destroying an A-50 aerial reconnaissance aircraft, the third in the past few months.
Russian A-50 aircraft (Photo: Russian Army).
According to a Ukrainian official, the country’s forces `destroyed or severely damaged` another rare Moscow A-50 reconnaissance aircraft, after Kiev targeted an aviation factory in the south of the country.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said over the weekend that the country’s air defense intercepted 47 Ukrainian UAVs, including 41 that attacked the Rostov region.
Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region, said Kiev launched a `large-scale unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack` on the city of Taganrog.
Russian military bloggers reported that `swarms` of Ukrainian UAVs attacked a factory in the city – where A-50 spy planes are repaired – as well as a nearby airport.
Serhiy Bratchuk, a Ukrainian military official in the south of the country, said a UAV attacked the factory workshop and caused a fire, but it was unclear whether an A-50 plane nearby was hit.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko told Newsweek on March 10 that the Taganrog factory was `severely damaged` and that A-50 aircraft near the facility were destroyed or significantly damaged.
The A-50 is the `brain and eyes` of the Russian air force, he said, adding that this is an `important` weapon for Moscow, especially when Ukraine will receive F-fighters.
Russia has not commented on Ukraine’s statements.
Previously, Ukraine said that in the first months of this year it destroyed two Russian A-50s, but this information has not yet been verified for accuracy by a third party.
The A-50 is a rare aircraft model in the Russian Air Force.
Earlier this month, Sergei Chemezov, head of Russia’s Rostec defense corporation, said the A-50 production line would be restarted.
The A-50 is an airborne early warning aircraft with command and control capabilities and the ability to track up to 60 targets at once.
The A-50U is known as the `magic eye` and `giant aerial data processing center` with the ability to detect and detect targets on the ground, in the air and on the water.
Built on the frame of the Ilyushin Il-76 `workhorse` aircraft, the A-50U can detect ground targets within nearly 300km and air targets within about 600km.
The A-50U is also equipped with a control center, which can simultaneously direct 10-12 fighters.