Russian A-50 shot down
British see Russian “capability gap” in the air
March 2, 2024, 11:53 a.m
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After another Russian reconnaissance plane was shot down, British intelligence services assume that Russia is having problems in the airspace over Ukraine. Even if the Russians looked for alternatives, this is likely to be an ongoing problem.
According to British intelligence services, Russia is having problems protecting its ground troops from the air following the downing of a Russian A-50 airspace reconnaissance aircraft.
It is said that Russia has most likely banned its air force from flying in support of operations in Ukraine in the British Ministry of Defense’s daily intelligence update on X. The loss of this capability will “most likely” lead to a “capability gap that Russia can ill afford in the disputed airspace of eastern and southern Ukraine.”
A week ago on Friday, Ukrainian air force chief Mykola Oleshchuk announced that Ukrainian air defense had shot down an A-50. According to military experts, Russia only has around half a dozen operational aircraft of this type. According to its own statements, the Ukrainian military had already shot down an A-50 and another Ilyushin Il-22 reconnaissance aircraft in mid-January.
Russia is likely to consider alternatives
Former Ukrainian lieutenant colonel Oleksij Melnyk said in an interview with ntv.de on Wednesday that the loss of two A-50s, “of which Russia has fewer than ten, is serious and will ensure that the Russian army will use missiles less accurately in Ukraine and cruise missiles”.
This is important, said the military expert. But shooting down a plane only defuses the situation on a specific section of the front for one or two days. “Ukraine continues to need many more anti-aircraft systems that it can deploy near the front with a certain degree of risk,” said Melnyk. “What has happened so far is more in the area of isolated special operations than in the area of systematics.”
The British intelligence update said Russia would likely explore alternatives to fill the gap created. “It is a realistic possibility that Russia will seek to bring previously mothballed A-50 aircraft back into service” to mitigate the problem. The British secret services still believe that this is an “ongoing problem” for Russia.