This was stated on the air by Natalia Humenyuk, the head of the Unified Coordination Press Center for the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, to KYIV24.
“The downing of the A-50 is a powerful blow and loss. It is a very serious reorientation in work. The loss of specialists is even more significant than the loss of equipment in this sense. Because the enemy still has such equipment, but the list of specialists is small”, she noted.
Humenyuk mentioned that in the southern region, the enemy tried to show that their army is still capable of responding appropriately.
“Nevertheless, in our responsibility zone in the south, the enemy tried to demonstrate over the past day that it would not affect the work of their tactical aviation”, added Humenyuk.
Destruction of A-50 and Il-22: What is known
Recall that on the morning of January 14, information appeared online that Ukrainian military, presumably, shot down a rare Russian long-range airborne early warning and control aircraft A-50 over the Azov Sea. Additionally, they managed to bring down another enemy aircraft, the Il-22M.
According to aviation expert Anatoliy Khrapchynsky, there are about six A-50 and Il-76 aircraft left in Russia, which are used for airborne early warning and control. The loss of these aircraft in the war with Ukraine is a serious problem for the Russian army.
Later, it became known that the Armed Forces of Ukraine did destroy the A-50 aircraft, but the airborne command post Il-22 survived, although it is not subject to restoration.
About the Aircraft:
A-50 – a long-range airborne early warning and control aircraft created based on the military transport aircraft Il-76. During the Soviet era, the aircraft was supposed to become the equivalent of Western AWACS aircraft. The A-50 is literally the “eyes” of the Russian military as it conducts reconnaissance, provides target designation to Russian fighters, and guides missiles. The cost of one aircraft is over $330 million.
Il-22M – an airborne protected command post, as well as a radio technical reconnaissance aircraft created during the Soviet era based on the long-range aviation passenger aircraft Il-18. At the beginning of the Russian invasion, Russian terrorists had 12 such aircraft (out of 33 produced during the Soviet era). One Il-22M was shot down by “Wagner” mercenaries during the Prigozhin coup in June 2023. Both aircraft models are no longer produced in Russia as of 2024.
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