Russian air bases under siege: New missile-proof hangars planned
The Russians admit that their planes are being destroyed by Western missiles, according to the Defense Romania portal. For this reason, Moscow plans to prepare special hangars to protect the remaining equipment in their arsenal.
8:29 AM EDT, July 23, 2024
Russians are regularly losing more planes. The Ukrainians have almost perfected their strikes on the enemy's air bases—even those several hundred miles from the front line. One proof of the presence of long-range drones in the Ukrainian arsenal is the strikes on the Engels base—the Russian Federation stores, among other things, Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers there.
Strikes against Russian aviation are critical today because F-16 fighters will soon be delivered to Ukraine. Every lost plane in the aggressor's army is a significant success for the defenders, as it may determine the air superiority of Ukrainian forces shortly.
The attacks on air bases continue incessantly, as evidenced by the strike carried out as recently as last weekend on the Millerovo base in Russia. Satellite photos taken after the attack confirm that the Ukrainians hit a hangar (most likely containing aircraft parts) and aviation fuel tanks.
In light of these and previous incidents, the Russians themselves admit that Western missiles are destroying their planes. Therefore, the Russian Federation has announced the construction of hangars to protect aircraft in military bases.
Russia admits to problems
"The Russian Ministry of Defense has announced the construction of special hangars to protect aircraft. Even the Russian propaganda media report this," reads Defense Romania. The Russians admit that they have problems with the fact that Western weapons used by Ukrainians hit their planes.
Defense Romania also mentions a conversation between Russian military analyst Alexander Kots and officials, who confirmed that Moscow will soon launch a large program to build special hangars. Their role will be to shield aircraft from drones and missiles. At the same time, the Russians do not disclose details about the construction of these structures. Exactly when the first constructions can be expected in air bases is unknown.
Precise ukrainian weapons
Let's recall, however, that the biggest bane for the Russians—as calculated by Defense Romania—may be accurate Storm Shadow/SCALP or ATACMS missiles, which are characterized by high strike accuracy. The ATACMS, as mentioned earlier, are ballistic missiles with a range of about 186 miles. The warhead of a single ammunition of this type weighs approximately 1,230 lbs, while the entire missile is nearly 3,750 lbs.
Storm Shadow/SCALP, on the other hand, is a weapon with a length of 16.7 ft that accelerates to speeds of 621 mph. It can hit targets ranging from 155 to 249 miles, detonating a 992-lb warhead upon impact. This weapon's targeting utilizes inertial navigation, GPS, and TERPROM. In the final phase of the attack, infrared target identification is activated for a precise strike.
