Ukrainian cruise missiles and/or drones appear to have destroyed two of the Russian air force’s most valuable test-bed aircraft at a base in Taganrog in southwestern Russia. The one-of-a-kind A-60, based on an Il-76 transport, was reportedly equipped with lasers that could shoot down satellites in orbit. Another large plane, possibly the A-100, a new type of airborne surveillance and control test bed, was also reportedly destroyed. The laser-equipped plane has apparently not flown in almost a decade, but it’s not clear if it was still being used for research.
The destruction of the aircraft may have been collateral damage to the strike on the Beriev Aircraft Company’s research and development facilities at Taganrog. Aftermath video showed significant damage to company buildings. According to The War Zone, there were 50 drones and three Neptune cruise missiles used in the strike. The Neptunes were built as ship-borne cruise missiles but Ukraine has adapted them for use over land. It was the latest in a series of precision strikes against high-value assets inside Russia.
They also took out 3 nearby S400 air defense systems and burned out the huge shop facility that services large aircraft including TU 295 Bears which were possibly inside the facility when it burned. There are some great photos out there.
good ret. A&p
They’re clever. And the Ukranians seem to target military assets, not civilians.
By and large, the Ukrainians are avoiding civilian targets because they want to embarrass the Russian government, not make the people mad. They want the people to question why their leader continues to wage a useless war that has cost over a million Russian military casualties. In three years, Ukraine has rewritten the book on modern land and air warfare. I would hope that America’s military leaders are paying careful attention.