For example, Putin’s army wants to replace its reconnaissance plane. Former German RAF terrorist remains silent – accomplices on the run

The A-50 reconnaissance aircraft are an important part of the Russian air force. They carry a radar on their back that allows them to locate aircraft and cruise missiles from about 300 kilometers away. A-50s also serve as flying command centers and coordinate fighter jets. Ukraine has already shot down two of the planes this year, causing around 620 million francs in damage to the Russian military. Now Russia needs a replacement.

Spokesperson for Ukraine’s Southern Armed Forces, Natalia Humeniuk, told Ukrainian media that Russia is now using reconnaissance drones to gather information that the aircraft can no longer provide. British drone expert Steve Wright told the American news portal Newsweek: “It is certainly plausible that Russia is collecting drones to plug some gaps. But they cannot replace the aircraft one-for-one.” The A-50’s radar can detect vehicle movements on land and in the air much faster than drones.

Shootings at sea could follow

The A-50 reconnaissance aircraft is an important part of Russian combat tactics in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces destroyed numerous radar stations in Crimea last year. The A-50 is a mobile alternative, helping Russian commanders monitor Ukraine’s air force and air defenses to respond to rapid missile and drone strikes.

Russian soldiers in the Crimea region have so far been relatively poorly protected against such attacks, as evidenced by the number of Russian warships that Ukraine has sunk so far. If the A-50 stopped warning of such attacks, Ukraine could expand its successes in the Black Sea.

Drones can only search small areas

Frederik Mertens of The Hague Center for Strategic Studies told Newsweek: “The plane is difficult to replace with drones. Even if drones are equipped with radar, they do not have the power and size to cover a comparably large area. The Russian military also needs significantly more expensive drones to carry radar equipment. Drones have long dominated battlefields in Ukraine. Ukraine also uses special drones to gain advantages in battle.

Drone expert Wright added: “It is possible that Russia will replace aircraft with drones in the future, but that is currently impossible.” According to the Ukrainian secret service HUR, Russia has only six A-50 aircraft left. If another one fails, Russia would no longer be able to use them in shifts around the clock, Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the secret service, wrote on the Telegram platform on Sunday. According to the American magazine Forbes, there could be seven more aircraft, although some of them are probably not operational.

Did Russia shoot down the plane itself?

In addition, Russia appears to be currently sparing its special aircraft, possibly to protect them from attacks, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian air force announced. Russia may currently have to replace intact aircraft with drones, as the risk of the planes being lost to Ukrainian fire is too great. Another possibility is that Russia itself shot down one of the planes and now needs to work on its internal communications. However, such assumptions are considered unlikely.

Russia is also said to have lost nine aircraft in the past ten days, namely Sukhoi Su-34 and Sukhoi Su-35 fighter-bombers. The Russian air force cannot initially compensate for this blow, Forbes writes, because the arms industry only produces about twelve fighter planes per year.