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Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Confirmed Losses Of Russian Aircraft Mount After Ukrainian Drone Assault
New satellite imagery and an official video have revealed more about the scale of destruction and damage inflicted on Russian airfields in Ukraine's unprecedented drone attacks last weekend. Today, the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, which carried out the drone attacks, published previously unreleased drone footage showing the raid underway. At the same time as the SBU video was released, Ukraine also announced more details of the drone attacks, which were carried out under Operation Spiderweb. You can catch up with our previous reporting about the operation and its aftermath here. СБУ показала унікальні кадри спецоперації «Павутина», у результаті якої уражено 41 військовий літак стратегічної авіації рф — СБ України (@ServiceSsu) June 4, 2025 The SBU claims that its drones used artificial intelligence (AI) during at least some aspects of the operation. 'During the operation, modern UAV control technology was used, which combines autonomous artificial intelligence algorithms and manual operator intervention,' the SBU said. 'In particular, some UAVs, due to signal loss, switched to performing the mission using artificial intelligence along a pre-planned route. After approaching and contacting a specifically designated target, the warhead was automatically triggered.' While we cannot confirm this, TWZ has, in the past, detailed exactly how AI can be harnessed for lower-end drones. Ukraine's SBU says its drones used AI during Operation Spiderweb: "During the operation, modern UAV control technology was used, which combines autonomous artificial intelligence algorithms and manual operator intervention."In particular, some UAVs, due to signal loss, switched… — Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) June 4, 2025 Initially, Ukrainian authorities claimed to have hit 41 aircraft, in total, including Tu-95MS Bear-H and Tu-22M3 Backfire-C bombers, as well as A-50 Mainstay airborne early warning and control aircraft. However, these were clearly not all destroyed or even damaged. Subsequently, Andriy Kovalenko, an official with Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said that 'at least 13 Russian aircraft were destroyed.' Among those aircraft, the new video confirms that several of the Tu-95MS bombers were already loaded with Kh-101 conventionally armed cruise missiles, ready for launch against Ukraine, as seen in the image below. This fact underlines how big a threat these aircraft are to Ukraine and reinforces the fact that they are legitimate targets. Now, with the new satellite imagery, verification of at least some of these previous claims is becoming somewhat easier. Here's what we know so far for each of the airfields targeted: Soon after the drone strikes, ground-level videos of Belaya, which is situated in Russia's eastern Irkutsk region, began to appear online, showing smoke rising from the base, confirming that at least something was hit. Footage of a Ukrainian FPV strike drone flying towards Russia's Belaya Airbase, already heavily base, home to a number of bombers, was hit this afternoon. — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 1, 2025 Thereafter, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery obtained by TWZ from the U.S.-based ICEYE US pointed to at least four Tu-95MS bombers having been destroyed or at least damaged at Belaya. However, the resolution and the nature of SAR, which does not show the same kinds of details that would be available in visual spectrum imagery, made it difficult to definitively determine the state of any of the aircraft. That has since changed. Now, with new satellite imagery from Maxar, we can clearly see the remains of three destroyed Tu-95MS and four destroyed Tu-22M3 bombers at Belaya. While we cannot be certain of the operational status of the aircraft that were destroyed, most were arranged along the flight line or in blast pens among active aircraft, so there's a high possibility that these were frontline assets. Additional satellite images of the Russian Belaya Air Base by Planet Labs. — Special Kherson Cat (@bayraktar_1love) June 4, 2025 Belaya: — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 4, 2025 5/ Additional high-resolution images from @AirbusDefence taken on 4 June over the Belaya airbase show an even clearer picture of destroyed Tu-95 and Tu-22 aircraft. — Open Source Centre (@osc_london) June 4, 2025 On June 1, video footage emerged showing Olenya, located in far northwestern Russia near the Barents Sea, from the perspective of cameras on first-person-view (FPV) type drones. This earlier footage suggested that Olenya was among the hardest-hit bases, with the drone videos showing that Tu-95MS bombers and an An-12 Cub cargo aircraft had been targeted. A satellite image of Olenya taken on June 3 from Planet Labs appeared to show three Tu-95MS and one An-12 damaged and/or destroyed, but was too low-resolution to be conclusive. Now, additional satellite imagery from Airbus Defense and Space, Maxar, and Planet Labs provides a better understanding of the destruction at Olenya, with telltale burn marks on the tarmac consistent with the destruction of five aircraft, at least three of which can be confirmed as Tu-95MS bombers. At opposite ends of the same flight line are further scorch marks, as seen in the oblique image in the embedded tweet below. Here, the nearest aircraft destroyed was likely the An-12, supported by a comparison with previous satellite imagery showing the transport intact in this location. It's not clear what aircraft might have been targeted at the other end of the flight line from the An-12 (the area seen at the very top of the frame in the oblique image). The most likely candidate is another Tu-95MS, which would appear to be consistent with some of the original video footage from the attack. 4/ Imagery taken on 23 May by @Satellogic of the Olenya airbase shows that two Tu-95 were at this location. A possible transport aircraft An-12 also appears to have been destroyed and another unidentified aircraft – both visible on the 3 June @AirbusDefence image posted above. — Open Source Centre (@osc_london) June 4, 2025 New raw footage of Russia's Olenya airbase burning today, filmed by a Ukrainian FPV strike Tu-95 bombers and an An-22 transport plane can be seen ablaze. — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 1, 2025 Clear satellite imagery that might definitely show damage to aircraft at Ivanovo has yet to emerge, although a video released today by the SBU shows two A-50 being targeted. The location was presumably Ivanovo, where these radar planes are home-based. Based on lower-resolution satellite imagery, there have been claims that two A-50s were at least hit at Ivanovo, although it's by no means certain that this is the case. If the aircraft were hit, there is currently no evidence that they were destroyed outright. From new satellite imagesfrom Ivanovo's Severny air base, one A-50 AEW is confirmed to be destroyed and second one is hit, not sure if one was propably not in operational condition and was only parked in the airfield. — Tomi (@TallbarFIN) June 3, 2025 At the same time, it's worth bearing in mind that Russia's fleet of A-50s — two examples of which have already been destroyed in the air by Ukraine — normally conducts its wartime operations from forward bases closer to Ukraine. While A-50s rotate in and out of Ivanovo periodically, examples that might have been hit there could also be inactive aircraft, which are known to be stored at the base. the question is what ac they actually are a lot of inoperable A-50 at Ivanovo AB…we need evidence and no guessing — ben-reuter (@benreuter_IMINT) June 3, 2025 Indeed, the aircraft seen in the SBU video may well have been non-operational, with highly weathered radomes, while at least one aircraft doesn't have a full set of engines fitted. Prior to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia was estimated to have nine A-50s, including a number of modernized A-50Us, in active service. As well as the two combat losses since then, one of these aircraft was damaged in a drone attack while on the ground at a base in Belarus, and its current status is unknown. Any further losses to the A-50 fleet will be very keenly felt. A high-resolution satellite image of Dyagilevo from Planet Labs, taken on June 2 and reviewed by TWZ, showed no obvious signs of damage to any aircraft there. Still, some aircraft may have been damaged by shrapnel, against which relatively thin-skinned aircraft are notably vulnerable, and this would not necessarily be visible even in higher-resolution imagery. Satellite images of Dyagilevo Airbase as of June 2, 8:55 UTCThe airbase housed 3 Tu-95MS (Bear-H), 5 Tu-22M3 (Backfire-C), 14 Il-78M or Il-76MD (Midas or Candid) and 2 Su-30SM (Flanker-C).There was no serious damage after the Ukrainian special operation. In the right… — AviVector (@avivector) June 2, 2025 Clear satellite imagery showing potential damage to aircraft at Ukrainka is yet to emerge. What little visual evidence we have of this airfield after the drone strikes is inconclusive, although there are claims, at least, of a single Tu-95MS having been hit. For now, these claims need to be treated with caution. #UkraineRussiaWar #Pokrovsk #Kupyansk #ChasovYar #Toretsk #Kursk #Belgorod #DniproA Tu-95MS was hit at the Ukrainka air is more than 6,000 kilometers away from the Russian border — Koba (@Roberto05246129) June 3, 2025 It's also worth noting that the tires, frequently scattered over the wings and upper fuselages of Russian bombers and other combat aircraft, and which are employed in this manner to confuse image-matching seekers on incoming munitions, appear to have been misidentified by some observers as evidence of damage or scorch marks. While cloud cover has hindered the opportunity for more rapid and verifiable analysis of the results of Operation Spiderweb, we can now say, with certainty, that at least six (and more likely seven) Tu-95MS and four Tu-22M3 bombers were destroyed. While far short of some of the earlier Ukrainian claims, this still represents a significant loss to Russia, not least because it's impossible to replace the Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3, both of which have been out of production for decades, as you can read more about here. While the new SBU video shows multiple drones landing on their targets before presumably exploding, it is possible that some made it to their final destinations and failed to detonate. Additional satellite imagery could well reveal more aircraft destroyed or damaged, although, with each passing day, Russia is better able to conceal the results of the raid, disposing of wreckage and moving aircraft around to make it that much harder to create an accurate tally. Russians quickly replaced some of the destroyed aircraft with undamaged aircraft/decoys on their airfields, placing them in the exact same spots. — MilitaryNewsUA (@front_ukrainian) June 4, 2025 At the same time, Russian aircrews are already making clear their reaction to the drone strikes, referencing the destroyed aircraft in the form of slogans on glide bombs launched by tactical combat aircraft, as seen below: This is what Russian servicemen are now writing on FAB-500 UMPK guided aerial bombs installed under the wings of a Sukhoi Su-34 bomber:"For Tu-22M3""For Tu-95MS""For Long-Range Aviation""For the train" — Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (BlueSky too) (@Archer83Able) June 4, 2025 Whatever the final losses to the Russian Aerospace Forces, the Ukrainian drone strike will also have sent a shockwave all the way to the top of the Russian leadership, as well as military planners around the globe. The carefully planned operation visibly exposed the vulnerability of some of Russia's prime strategic assets. For now, at least, there appears to be no quick-fix solution to protecting these high-value aircraft. This may well force Russia toward an even more highly dispersed positioning model, which will severely limit the bombers' effectiveness for Ukraine operations. Contact the author: thomas@
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian Bomber Base Suffered Major Damage To Munitions Area In Ukrainian Drone Attack
Satellite imagery obtained by The War Zone confirms that ammunition and weapons storage bunkers at Russia's Engels Air Base were destroyed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Thursday. The attack resulted in a massive fireball and mushroom cloud. You can read our initial story about it here. A high-resolution image, taken today by Maxar Technologies, shows most of the damage occurred at storage areas about a mile east of the runway. At least a dozen storage facilities and other nearby buildings were destroyed in the attack. It also created several large craters. The severe damage was caused by massive secondary explosions when the drones detonated explosive ordnance stored there. Targeting munitions storage areas for their secondary effects is a common tactic used by both sides when employing standoff weaponry. You can see the same area in an image taken before the attack below. There were claims on Russian Telegram channels that a Tu-95MS Bear-H bomber may have been damaged by shrapnel, but there is no indication in the satellite images of major damage to aviation assets at the base. Still, shrapnel damage without secondary effects would not show up in this resolution of imagery, so it is possible. The full image taken by Maxar shows the distance from the area that was attacked and the main apron. According to Ukrainian accounts, there were three Tu-95MS Bear-H and two Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers at Engels when the drones struck. An Il-76 Candid airlifter had also recently arrived. At least two pilots of a Bear bomber were killed in the attack, according to Russian Telegram channels. There was no indication whether they were in the bomber at the time. The War Zone cannot independently confirm that claim. According to the ruSSian sources a crew of the Tu-95SM were killed in yesterday's attack on the Engels-2 air base. — 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝕯𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝕯𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔠𝔱△ (@TheDeadDistrict) March 21, 2025 'A warehouse of aviation ammunition at a military airfield was hit, and a fire started at the facility,' the Astra news outlet reported on Friday. 'Several hours later, ammunition began to detonate there – at least three explosions occurred.' Video and images emerging on social media after the attack showed a massive explosion and a dark cloud rising over the city. Russia's Engels-2 airbase, having a rough morning. — Jay in Kyiv (@ 2025-03-20T06:10:39.866Z Russia: Ukraine struck the Engels Military Air Base in Saratov region. — Igor Sushko (@ 2025-03-20T04:09:14.037Z /1. Tonight drones targeted Russian military airfield in Engels, Saratov region of Russia. A strong explosion was reported. — Special Kherson Cat (@ 2025-03-20T07:19:10.749Z There was also video showing the tremendous shockwave that damaged nearby buildings. There is a village located about a tenth of a mile east of the damaged ammunition bunkers, which is likely where the video below was filmed. Near the Engels air base. — 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝕯𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝕯𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔠𝔱△ (@TheDeadDistrict) March 20, 2025 At least three servicemen were injured in the attack, Astra stated. At least five civilians were injured by the resulting fire. In addition, the windows in the Engels City Clinical Hospital No. 1 were blown out by falling debris. 'A total of 120 people were evacuated from the danger zone,' Astra explained. At least '180 private houses were damaged during the attack. The authorities introduced a state of emergency at the municipal level.' The attack involved more than 50 drones, according to Astra. The strikes were carried out by Ukrainian-made long-range one-way attack drones, with at least one video seemingly indicating the use of the twin-boom Lyutyy or the visually similar PD-2. Both these types have been used to attack targets deep inside Russia on multiple occasions. Engels – a major military airfield. Clearly air defence was not good enough.A mix of improved Ukraine weaponry, overwhelming air defence and/or previously taking out radars to strip the base of during the attack, drones were filmed flying smoothly overhead. — Tim White (@TWMCLtd) March 20, 2025 The base, 300 miles from the Ukrainian border, is home to the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division, which operates one squadron of Tu-95MS Bear-H bombers, another squadron of supersonic Tu-22M3 Backfire-C bombers and is the primary base for the Tu-160 Blackjack bombers. The latter aircraft have been widely employed in the conflict in Ukraine and especially in the standoff strikes that have targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure, among other objectives, civilian and military, across the country. Engels has been a frequent target for Ukraine. It was attacked three times in the month of December 2022 alone. On at least one of those occasions, the Russian Ministry of Defense said the air base was attacked by Soviet-made jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles modified by Ukraine to carry explosives. Those attacks — which also targeted Dyagilevo Air Base — resulted in damage to at least one Tu-22M3 Backfire-C bomber and apparently also to a Tu-95MS. More recently, in January of this year, we reported on a huge fire close to Engels Air Base, caused by what Russian officials described as a 'massive' Ukrainian drone attack. The strike was on the strategically important fuel storage tank farm for Engels and the fire raged for several days after, as seen in the image in the embedded tweet below: Russia's Rosreserv fuel depot in Engels continued to burn today after a Ukrainian drone attack last night, with multiple additional storage tanks igniting throughout the day. Within the last hour, the regional governor of Saratov declared a state of emergency. — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) January 8, 2025 The latest attack came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to a tentative agreement in principle with Russia calling for a mutual pause on power infrastructure attacks. However, there was no timetable for implementation and both sides continue to launch strikes against each other. Contact the author: howard@
