Ukrainian strikes hurt Russian A‑50 surveillance fleet
The Russians have lost another A-50 early warning aircraft, as reported on social media. According to military analyst Jarosław Wolski, the said aircraft was destroyed during an attack conducted by Ukrainians on 1 June. There are 2-3 A-50 aircraft remaining in service.
To recap, on Sunday, 1 June 2025, the Ukrainians launched a large-scale attack on Russian military bases. Ukrainian drones entered Russian Federation territory and attacked several locations. As a result of the strikes, based on satellite images of the Belaya airbase, at least three Tu-95MS aircraft and one Tu-22M3 were destroyed, and one Tu-95MS sustained damage.
The Russians lost an A-50
Jarosław Wolski on X, however, calculates that these losses pertain to only one base. Overall, the Russians lost more equipment. The expert adds that the loss of the A-50 early warning aircraft has been confirmed. This aircraft allows the military to monitor all objects in the airspace within a radius of up to 640 kilometres.
Any damage to or loss of this aircraft is a significant setback for the Russian army, as it deprives them of the ability to track potential threats. Moreover, aircraft of this type are no longer produced by the Russians, so their reconnaissance capabilities cannot be easily restored. Analysts estimate that currently there are 2-3 A-50 aircraft in service capable of conducting reconnaissance.
Moscow's "flying eyes"
The Beriev A-50 aircraft, which replaced the Tupolev Tu-126, was designed to detect and track objects in airspace within a radius of up to 640 kilometres from the Liana radar mounted on the fuselage. The A-50 also has the capability to detect ground targets, although in this case, the range is 300 kilometres. Thanks to these capabilities, the aircraft performs observation functions, intercepts enemy units, and supports ground attacks.
In the 1980s, more precisely in 1984, the A-50 aircraft was introduced into the Russian armed forces. This machine is nearly 50 metres long, 15 metres high, and has a wingspan of about 51 metres. The A-50 can reach a maximum speed of 900 kilometres per hour, and its maximum operational ceiling is about 13 kilometres. The flight range of this aircraft is about 7,500 kilometres.
