Moscovians on the losses yesterday:
Military Informant
https://t.me/milinfolive/114375
The enemy declares the defeat of A-50 and Il-22 of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the skies over the Sea of Azov.
The damaged Il-22 was able to reach the airfield and land, as evidenced by leaked intercepted conversations on an open frequency, but with the A-50, apparently, everything is much sadder.
If the loss of the aircraft is confirmed, it will be a huge loss for domestic aviation, since there are only a few such AWACS aircraft in service and are constantly in short supply at the front.
By the way, after the loss of three Su-34s at once from Patriot fire, also in the Azov Sea area, very little time passed.
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Kremlin snuff box
https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/3442
The VKS lost a unique radio reconnaissance aircraft
To our great regret, we are forced to confirm the defeat of the A-50 long-range radar detection vessel. A huge loss for the Aerospace Forces, a huge loss for the entire army.
We hoped until the last moment that the information would turn out to be an enemy source. But alas.
Most questions arise about how the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to hit such a serious target. There have already been many rumors; the Ministry of Defense chose to remain silent on this incident and hide the loss of the A-50 until the last.
The worst thing is that very experienced pilots, some of the best in the Aerospace Forces, died. Their names are hidden.
It is known that there are no more than a dozen such aircraft in the VKS. At the same time, there were only 3 A-50 ships.
The cost of such an aircraft is several hundred million dollars. The biggest problem is that building an analogue in the current conditions is almost impossible.
The A-50 helped conduct radar reconnaissance and help troops more accurately strike and control the situation on the battlefield.
It also became known that our IL-22 was damaged. This plane is an air command post.
But there will be fewer details here; the plane landed successfully. Experts will evaluate the possibility of its repair. The main thing is that the crew remained intact.
Returning to how the enemy managed to damage two such important sides at once. There are very bad rumors that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have already received Western-style aircraft.
And we are not talking about the F-16, but perhaps about the F-35. The military says that the plane could have quietly bypassed Crimea and struck without reaching the Crimean Bridge. This version sounds, frankly, fantastic.
Other sources are inclined to believe that Ukraine has modified Western air defense systems and can now hit targets at a distance of more than 200 km.
This is bad news. After all, just recently we lost three Su-34s in just one day. And even such machines are difficult and expensive to create.
We immediately discard the version of friendly fire from Russian air defense. The military says this is complete nonsense.
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Kremlin snuff box
https://t.me/s/kremlin_secrets
What happened to the A-50 AWACS that crashed in the Sea of Azov
The loss of the unique A-50 long-range radar detection is certainly a dark day for the Russian Aerospace Forces.
In enemy public pages they are actively discussing all the circumstances of this emergency, but in our Ministry of Defense it’s as if they’ve taken their fill of water - no mentions and no information.
Mourning day. It’s good that at least the Il-22M air command post made it to the landing strip. Judging by the photo, it will probably be able to be restored, but it will require time and considerable funds.
And yet let’s talk about versions of what happened. The A-50 was shot down over the Sea of Azov, more than 200 km from the front line.
For some reason, paramilitary public pages are circulating the version that the plane was hit by a Russian air defense system. Despite the presence of problems with detection using the “friend or foe” system, a shot at such large targets could not have been made by accident.
If this version is confirmed, then it is urgently necessary to conduct an inspection of the entire command of the Aerospace Forces.
The Second version, about the presence of Western fighters in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has also not yet been confirmed, but they are also in no hurry to refute it.
Suspicions that Ukraine already has American F-16s (or something more powerful) have been repeatedly circulated, including in domestic public pages, but there has been no confirmation of this.
The Third version is the use of ground-based air defense systems. With a high degree of probability, we can assume that the A-50 aircraft was shot down by a missile from ground-based air defense systems.
Modifications of Western models or even S-200 systems, which are now being actively modernized by the enemy, are possible. There is no exact information at this time, since sources in the Ministry of Defense do not undertake to comment on anything. Everyone is shocked.
“Everyone is shocked.”
I still remember in the early days of the war, NorseViking said “does anyone really believe RuZZia doesn’t have air superiority”.
Poland updated their S-200's in 2000... Also, the US is/was working to provide Ukraine with a FrankenSam system based on Patriot missiles using Ukrainian radars. Ukraine has plenty of S-300 systems but no more missiles. With this system, they could place a Patriot launcher near the front without risking a full Patriot battery.
https://web.archive.org/web/20231028092659/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/28/us/politics/air-defense-ukraine-frankensam.html
American defense officials and engineers are also still testing what may be the most powerful FrankenSAM yet: a Patriot missile and launching station that operates with Ukraine’s older, domestically made radar systems.A Pentagon official said on Wednesday that a test flight of the system this month, conducted at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, successfully hit the drone it had targeted. The system is scheduled to be sent to Ukraine this winter, the official said, accompanied by donated missiles and other Patriot parts from multiple allies.