Informant
https://t.me/infomil_live/7195
In Crimea, attacks on air defense position areas continue. On the night of June 9-10, command posts, radars, launchers and equipment of several S-400 and S-300 crews were destroyed.
Today the enemy also announced the destruction of several radars. And right now there are several NATO reconnaissance aircraft in the skies over the Black Sea, which are directly related to the systematic destruction of Crimean air defense.
What could air defense losses in Crimea grow into? Most likely, the F-16 will actively work on the peninsula, since in the future military units, government buildings, fuel reserves, strategic infrastructure and much more will be under attack from air weapons of Western fighters.
Obviously, the production rate does not in any way cover the level of current losses, so a solution must be found here and now. And the only correct way out of the situation will be the destruction of NATO Long-Range Warning aircraft and RQ-4 Global Hawk UAVs over the Black Sea, which are harbingers of attacks on our air defense, navy, aviation and even nuclear infrastructure.
Of course, many will argue that this is an unnecessary risk, and the consequences can be unpredictable. But let’s say objectively that there will be no consequences.
The United States has already crossed literally all the “red lines,” the last of which was the ban on strikes on Russian territory. No one will take revenge for one drone, or even for several AWACS pilots, who, moreover, will fall on their own and all coincidences are random.
At the moment, all our problems come from the lack of an answer: sunk ships, bombed air bases, destroyed air defense systems, and most importantly, killed military personnel. “Playing defensively” is obviously doomed to failure, and the sooner this is understood, the better.
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Another reason for armed escorts
Shooting down an RQ-4 would have some consequence, but not significant. Certainly not kinetic. After all, Iran has shot one down with no public retaliation. An AWACS on the other hand, that would likely bring consequences.
The past few years it seems the US has been more willing to fly their high end drones in contested air space. Both Global Hawks and Reapers regularly fly in areas where they are at risk. And the Air Force wants to retire the RQ-4 in 2027. That tells me they have a plan to cover the mission with another system. The "secret" RQ-180 stealth drone has been operational for a few years, and might be ready to take all or some of Global Hawk's missions. The current trend in the Air Force seems to be Distributed ISR, so it might be a combination of assets.