Is the Ministry of Defense of Russia preparing for air combat with Turkish aircraft?
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The distant radar-tracking detection and management aircraft (AWACS) A-50 based on the Il-76 may be used by the ASF [Aerospace Forces] of Russia in Syria. A representative of the United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation, developer of the aircraft, reported this to TASS on
January 14.
According to the agency’s confidant, this aircraft’s main task is detection and tracking of aircraft targets and surface ships, notification of command points regarding the air and surface situation,
and management of fighters and strike aircraft to guide them to air, land, and sea targets. This air command point is capable of tracking up to 300 targets at the same time.
The source also clarified that the aircraft can detect aircraft objects at a distance up to 650 km, and land objects up to 300 km. In addition, the agency’s confidant emphasized that the Russian aircraft even surpasses the American AWACS (Airborne Warning And Control System) in a number of characteristics.
Note that earlier — on January 12 — the authoritative magazine “Jane’s Defense Weekly” reported that Russia has already begun using the A-50 AWACS (NATO classification: Mainstay — “Stronghold”) in the sky over Syria to support the operations of its own aviation group in this country. According to the source of the publication in the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain, A-50 aircraft appeared over Syria at the end of December.
So, on December 27 the aircraft, flying on a route typical for an AWACS, was noted by the Flightradar24.com resource, on which aircraft transponder signals are displayed in real time. The system, which had no open call sign, was flying at an altitude about 6 km in the northwest part of Syria for four hours, notes “Jane’s Defense Weekly”.
There is no evidence that the A-50s are using the Hmeymim air base.
The British source comes to the conclusion that the planes are most likely flying from bases in Russian territory, — possibly from Mozdok airfield, on which long-range Tu-22М3 bombers used to bomb targets in Syria are also developed. A source in the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain noted that the Russian A-50 planes did not attempt to illuminate aircraft of the Royal Air Force or other countries of the western coalition flying in Syrian air space. According to him, “eliminating conflict situations in the air between the Russian and western aircraft is carried out by the Russian and American ground coordination centers”.
