On the evening of January 14, the Ukrainian military shot down a Russian A-50 plane and shot down an IL-22M plane over the Sea of Azov, People's Deputy of Ukraine Yury Mysyagin reported on his Telegram channel.
According to him, around 21:00, Ukrainian units opened fire on two Russian Air Force aircraft — an A-50 anti-aircraft missile defense aircraft and an IL-22 bomber — that were over the Sea of Azov. The A-50 was shot down, and the IL-22 was hit, but it remained in the air and tried to reach the nearest airfield, but disappeared from the radar during a climb attempt, near Kerch.
The A-50 is a long-range radar detection aircraft designed to track targets in the air, on land and at sea, and guide other aircraft to targets. These aircraft are aimed at detecting the locations of Ukrainian air defense systems and transmitting information for strikes against them.
The characteristics of the A-50 include a patrol height of up to 10 km, a flight range of 5,000 km, the ability to escort up to 60 targets at the same time, targeting 12 fighters and helping to determine the location of Ukrainian objects, such as air defense systems and aviation, to strike them.
It is noted that the Russian armed forces currently have three A-50 and six A-50U, and the cost of the unit is 330 million dollars.
