Russians have not deployed A-50 aircraft for several days
The Russians have not deployed any Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft in several days, after Ukraine's Defence Forces downed the second such aircraft on 23 February near the Sea of Azov.
Source: Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, on air during the national joint 24/7 newscast
Quote: "The frequency of A-50 operations has decreased. They have simply been out of action for several days. They haven't decided to send more and more aircraft.
They only have a few of these planes in their fleet. One was damaged in Belarus, you know. I don't know what its repair status is. They may have salvaged parts from one plane to repair another, which is a common practice worldwide. And then there are the two [we] destroyed. The enemy is already weighing up the risks and benefits of continuing to use these AWACS aircraft.
It may have long-range radar detection capabilities, but it also needs to get closer [to our air defences] to scan for signals deep inside Ukrainian territory."
Details: Ihnat noted that Russian tactical aircraft also dropped guided bombs on Avdiivka, exposing them to air defences. As a result, they suffered significant losses (seven aircraft were downed in a week).
Background:
- On 23 February, the Defence Forces of Ukraine downed a second Russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft.
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