Gone for years, suddenly surfaced at the airport

"The Russians have recommenced the operations of the rare M-55 aircraft," reports the Defense Express portal. This claim is substantiated by photos from the Ramenskoye airport near Moscow, showing that the UKR-RT reconnaissance container, first spotted on the Su-34 fighter in 2021, has been mounted on the aircraft.

The last details of M-55 flights from Russia were reported back in 2017. It was announced then that the Geophysics aircraft had been put in long-term storage owing to a "dearth of scientific research orders," as notified by Defense Express. There has been no public information on the M-55 since then, until Saturday, November 4, when images of the aircraft were captured.

However, it remains uncertain what specific task the Russians plan to accomplish by re-enlisting the mentioned aircraft into service. The presence of the UKR-RT container on the M-55 might suggest that Russian forces intend to use the M-55 to detect electromagnetic emissions, including those from Starlink signals, in Ukraine.

The Myasishchev M-55 Geophysics is a uniquely global phenomenon. The aircraft was originally designed to intercept balloons (aerostats). Its exclusivity stems not only from its dual-beam layout with elongated, narrow wings but also from the limited number of models produced. Only four such aircraft were ever manufactured by the Russians.

The legacy of the M-55 dates back to the 1960s when the Soviet Union began conceptualizing the M-17 Stratosfera aircraft to intercept reconnaissance aircraft. However, delays in the project led to a shift in focus, resulting in the creation of the M-55 Geophysics, a high-altitude aircraft. Since 1996, the M-55 has been utilized for civilian scientific experiments.

Designing the Geophysics was indeed a formidable challenge due to the specific conditions the aircraft was supposed to withstand. Consequently, making the plane required a nearly 75-foot-long structure with a wingspan extending beyond 121 feet. The M-55 boasts a take-off weight of 50,706 lbs, a maximum speed of 466 mph, and can cover roughly 3,107 miles on a single refuel. Impressively, it can ascend to an altitude of 70,538 feet.

The M-55 is armed with a twin-barrel GSz-23 caliber 23mm, positioned in a remotely controlled gun station. The craft was engineered to accommodate upward firing capability for balloon interception. During its developmental stages, an optical sensor was fitted to detect balloons up to a distance of 25 miles.