Ukrainian air-defenses reportedly shot down two of the Russian air force’s rarest and most valuable command aircraft on Sunday: a Beriev A-50 radar early-warning plane and an Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command post.
Ukrainian media has cited government officials confirming the purported shoot-downs, but there’s little hard evidence of the incidents.
The 15-person crew of an A-50 tracks enemy planes and coordinates the flights of friendly planes.
Ukrainian forces, or their Belarusian agents, apparently damaged one of the A-50s at its base in Belarus back in February.
Worse than the day, back in December, when the Ukrainians shot down three Russian Sukhoi fighter-bombers in a complex missile-ambush over southern Ukraine.
It’s worth noting, however, that the command planes reportedly have struggled to overcome electromagnetic jamming.
Did the Russian command planes venture closer to the front line so their radars and radios might overpower the jamming? »
