Ukrainian drones strike deep into Russian territory, hitting strategic airfields

Ukrainians conducted drone attacks on three airports deep inside Russia during the night of August 13-14, 2024. One of the targets was the Savasleyka airfield, located more than 500 miles from the Ukrainian border. It houses MiG-31 aircraft carrying hypersonic Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles. Here is what this highly problematic pair for Ukraine is capable of.

Ukrainians attacked Russian airfields deep inside Russia with drones. This is not the first such instance, as Ukrainians have been regularly trying to destroy as many Russian aircraft on the ground as possible for several months, with varying degrees of success. Recently, the Morozovsk airfield was targeted, where an ammunition depot and one Su-34 tactical bomber were destroyed, as well as the Olenya airfield, located up to 1,120 miles away, where two Tu-22M3 strategic bombers were damaged.

In this context, attacking the Savasleyka airfield, located about 500 miles away, does not seem extraordinary until you check what is stationed there. The airfield is very important for the Russians because it serves as a training center and a base for MiG-31 interceptors carrying hypersonic Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles.

Footage of the attack shows one of several drones hitting somewhere on the airfield. Reports indicate 10 explosions, which may be the result of an attack by this number of drones or fewer, and secondary explosions, such as those of missiles or bombs stored at the airfield.

The consequences are still unknown, but the pro-Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber acknowledges that attacks on some of the three airfields were successful. The channel also adds that life at the most distant airfields is the calmest, which means it carries a greater risk of losses. Meanwhile, the Savasleyka base is the farthest of the three hits.

The MiG-31 aircraft was developed in the 1970s as a heavy interceptor fighter weighing 48,500 pounds empty, evolving from the MiG-25 fighter. Its task was to combat NATO strategic bombers, and its features included a very large range of about 3,100 miles, a powerful radar capable of independently detecting and eliminating targets at distances of several hundred miles, and a very high speed of about Mach 2.8.

For comparison, most fighter aircraft reach a maximum speed of Mach 2 or slightly above. Such high speed, combined with the unique MiG missiles R-33 or R-37 for the modernized MiG-31BM version, allows for combating enemy aircraft at distances of up to 120 miles or 190 miles, respectively.

Each aircraft carries four such half-ton missiles. It is also worth noting that the aircraft's speed during missile launch significantly impacts the maximum range, as it increases its kinetic energy.

Of course, the effective range will vary depending on the target because it is possible to hit relatively slow targets such as transport aircraft or AWACS at the range limit. Meanwhile, the range for fighter jets will be smaller but still significantly greater than that of any machine available to the Ukrainians. Even F-16 aircraft with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles will be insufficient here.

Over time, the Russians also developed the MiG-31K version, intended solely for attacking ground targets with hypersonic Kh-47M Kinzhal missiles. These are particularly problematic because their speed of up to Mach 10 (about 7,500 mph) makes them very difficult targets to intercept. Only a few air defense systems in the world, such as Patriot or SAMP/T, can handle them, and that too, within a range of about 20-25 miles from the launcher.

For this reason, Ukraine, equipped with only a few batteries, can protect only a few objects, while the rest are essentially defenseless against the Kinzhals armed with a warhead of about 1,100 pounds. The only advantage is that Russia has few of these missiles and cannot use them as often as it would like.

Because of this, each destruction of these missiles on the ground or damage to the aircraft carrying them is invaluable for Ukraine. It is also worth noting that Russia does not produce new MiG-31 aircraft so that any loss will be painful for them.