Ukraine downs Russian A‑50: vital blow to Moscow's air power
The Russians have reportedly lost another A-50 early warning aircraft, as shared on social media. According to military analyst Jarosław Wolski, this aircraft was destroyed during a Ukrainian attack on June 1. Currently, there are only 2-3 A-50 aircraft still in service.
On Sunday, June 1, 2025, the Ukrainians launched a large-scale attack on Russian military bases. Ukrainian drones that penetrated Russian Federation territory attacked several locations. As a result, satellite images of the Belaya airbase confirmed the destruction of at least three Tu-95MS aircraft, one Tu-22M3, and damage to one Tu-95MS.
Russians lose an A-50
Jarosław Wolski, on X, points out that these losses refer to just one base. Overall, Russia has lost more equipment. He confirms that the A-50 early warning aircraft has been destroyed. This aircraft allows the military to monitor all objects in the airspace within a radius of up to 400 miles.
Any damage or loss of this aircraft significantly impacts the Russian army; it diminishes their ability to track potential threats. Additionally, Russia no longer produces this type of aircraft, so their reconnaissance capabilities cannot be easily restored. Analysts estimate that currently, there are only 2-3 A-50 aircraft in service with reconnaissance capabilities.
Moscow's "flying eyes"
The Beriev A-50 aircraft, which succeeded the Tupolev Tu-126, was designed to detect and track objects in the airspace within a 400-mile radius from the Liana radar mounted on its fuselage. The A-50 can also detect ground targets, although in this case, the range is 186 miles. With these capabilities, the aircraft performs observation functions, intercepts enemy units, and supports ground attacks.
Introduced into the Russian armed forces in 1984, the A-50 aircraft measures nearly 164 feet in length, 49 feet in height, and has a wingspan of about 166 feet. It can reach a maximum speed of 559 mph and has an operational ceiling of about 8 miles. The flight range of this aircraft is approximately 4,660 miles.
