Posted on 08/22/2023 3:45:30 AM PDT by Cronos
Ukraine has destroyed a supersonic Russian jet in a drone strike, according to reports from the BBC and Ukrainian media.
The reports were based on images posted on social media which appear to show the long-range bomber, the Tupolev Tu-22, on fire. The images were analysed by the BBC, but have not been independently verified by the Guardian.
The burning plane appeared to be located south of St Petersburg, the BBC reported, using visual clues and historical satellite images of the airbase
The ministry said a Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE medium bomber of Russia’s Long Range Aviation (LRA) was “highly likely destroyed” at Soltsky-2 Airbase in Novgorod Oblast which is 650 km away from Ukraine’s border. It noted Russian Defence Ministry’s response that a copter-style uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) was responsible for the attack.
“If true, this adds weight to the assessment that some UAV attacks against Russian military targets are being launched from inside Russian territory. Copter UAVs are unlikely to have the range to reach Soltsky-2 from outside Russia,” the British MoD said.
It comes as Russia was again forced to shut down its air space over the three biggest airports in Moscow in the early hours of this morning after a swarm of Ukrainian drones reportedly hit buildings in the capital region, officials said.
...Arrivals and departures from Moscow’s four main airports - Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky - were restricted, disrupting 45 passenger planes and two cargo planes, Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia said.
The governor of Kaluga region, south of Moscow, said a drone attack had also been repelled there.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
This war is going to pull us in. And all is going as planned. After the maui fires, how do you think the Feds will respond to one or several of our cities getting nuked? You’re on your own.
To paraphrase Douglas Adams: “So long, and thanks for all the taxes!”
“The Tu-22M suffered from widespread maintenance problems due to poor manufacturing quality during its service with the Soviet forces. The engines and airframes in particular had short service lives. The Air Force at one point sought to prosecute Tupolev for allegedly rushing the inadequate designs of the Tu-22M and the Tu-160 into service. This was compounded by the government bureaucracy, which hampered the provision of spare parts to allow the servicing of the Tu-22M. With some aircraft grounded for up to six months, the mission-capable rate of the aircraft in August 1991 was around 30–40%.”
“The later Tu-22M3 (NATO: Backfire-C), which first flew in 1977, was introduced into operation in 1983 and officially entered service in 1989,[citation needed] had new NK-25 engines with substantially more power, wedge-shaped intake ramps similar to the MiG-25, wings with greater maximum sweep and a recontoured nose housing a new Almaz PNA (Planeta Nositel, izdeliye 030A) navigation/attack (NATO ‘Down Beat’) radar and NK-45 nav/attack system, which provides much-improved low-altitude flight. The aerodynamic changes increased its top speed to Mach 2.05 and its range by one third compared to the Tu-22M2. It has a revised tail turret with a single cannon, and provision for an internal rotary launcher for the Raduga Kh-15 missile, similar to the American AGM-69 SRAM. It was nicknamed Troika (’Trio’ or third) in Russian service. 268 were built until 1993.”
“Ukrainian Air Force and Navy inherited a large number of Tu-22M2/M3 bombers. 60 Tu-22Ms (17 Tu-22M2 and 43 Tu-22M3) and 423 Kh-22 cruise missiles were scrapped under the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction agreement led by the US. The last bombers were scrapped in January 2006.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-22M
Nah, Ukraine is fighting off the Russian invasion of Ukraine pretty well without outside troop deployments
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That’s what I’m afraid is going to happen, these warmongers are so insane they are willing to risk WW III for what, to defeat Russia regardless of the cost.
The other issues specifically with respect to this article, a supersonic bomber gets blown up, it’s a spectacular event meanwhile another 500 or 1000 Ukrainians are dead, several more tanks have been destroy, Bradley Fighting vehicles have been destroy and on and on.
One bomber regardless of it’s capabilities doesn’t equate to 1000s of people getting slaughtered in a needless war.
These kind of attacks make a negotiated settlement impossible, which is probably their true aim. One of two outcomes are likely, possibly both: Russia will cease trying to force Zelensky to the bargaining table through its restrained policy of attritio and either destroy the rest of Ukraine, or launch nuclear strikes at British and/or American cities, possibly a all out first strike. We are in the most dangerous period in our history, and we’re bringing it on ourselves unless something resembling sanity penetrates the halls of power. I hope I’m wrong, very wrong.
“ The ministry said a Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE medium bomber of Russia’s Long Range Aviation (LRA) was “highly likely destroyed” at Soltsky-2 Airbase in Novgorod Oblast which is 650 km away from Ukraine’s border. It noted Russian Defence Ministry’s response that a copter-style uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) was responsible for the attack.”
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Not good.
Not at all good. Ivan is going to be pissed off.
Not sure that is good.
Do I not remember hearing (specifically) that Ukraine would not bomb Russian military targets far away from Ukraine?
This sounds like a direct violation of that promise.
Maybe I am wrong, but anyone else remember something similar about six months ago?
Do I not remember hearing (specifically) that Russia would respect Ukraine’s borders? If Russia does not like being bombed in their own territory they could just stop bombing Ukraine and bring their forces home.
See Eye Yay!
Playing games with geopolitics?
Satan Smirks.
Next year can’t come fast enough. Just keep pushing. What’s going to happen when Russia gets tired of this and turns part of ukraine into a glass parking lot. I don’t think Putin wants to destroy the part he wants and he is trying to wait it out but other countries keeps helping. And what does ukraine need with all this money we are sending. We are already giving them all the guns and bullets and rockets to fight.
Actually some hefty number of fires -- beyond those already seen in recent months, and something like the Canadian extravaganza -- would be quite available to Ruskies as to Rose antifa in Portland and all our own idiots.
One doesn't need nukes to cause much damage. By this, I mean much more damage.
Russia hasn’t understood, when you commit war on another country, war can be brought home to you.
I think that had to do with using Starlink maybe?
So this same jet has been destroyed 4-5 times now?
No one can tell Ukraine they can’t fight back but there have been cases of a country attaching strings/limits to a weapon system or missile, or now jets, that they sell or give to Ukraine.
5 planes destroyed in current campaign
Russia can no longer make TUs and other due to the loss of its manufacturing capabilities built during Soviet times.
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