"The Times"
"
“The S-200 complex was developed sixty years ago to destroy targets at long
ranges and at high altitudes,” said a top oPcer from Ukraine’s military
intelligence agency, HUR, as he revealed previously classified details of a joint
operation with the Ukrainian air force that is now helping Kyiv to strike targets
deep inside Russian territory. “ In May 2022, we made the decision to restore the
S-200 system and start using it in combat,” he said"
.........................
During that first launch, in autumn 2023, the missiles failed to strike their target
because of a change in the A-50s flight path, the HUR oPcer said. Still, it had
provided valuable lessons, particularly to the colleagues they cooperated with
from the Ukrainian air force
..........
On January 14, the Patriot battery waited for an A-50 as it traversed the Azov Sea
with an Ilyushin Il-22 command centre aircraft, patrolling some 150 kilometres
from the frontline. The Russian crews would have thought themselves far beyond
the range of any ground-launched threat. They had less than two minutes to react
before the missiles struck. The A-50 crashed into the sea, while the Ilyushin
returned to base with wounded on board.
...............
Once the Kremlin realised the A-50s were vulnerable, it pulled them back from
the Azov Sea, out of the range of the Patriots. Y et, they were still within range of
the S-200 system. On February 23, the Ukrainian S-200 battery crew, under the
command of HUR, struck again, this time hitting its target, a second A-50, some
170 kilometres from the front line.
“ [Air defence systems] are being moved around and doing some really, really
historic things that I’ve haven’t seen in 22 years of being an air defender, and one
of them is a SAMbush,” said Colonel Rosanna Clemente, assistant chief of staj at
the US 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command
.................
Using an S-300 system with radar switched on as bait, they lured the jets into
range of a Patriot battery, the Ukrainian air force Lt Colonel said. Prepared to
engage only one system, the Russian jets couldn’t cope with the number of
missile launchers, he added.
“ They were happy to fly out to destroy the S-300 and then the Patriot appeared.
Out of the six, two were shot down by the S-300 and four by the Patriot.”
On April 19 HUR again deployed its S-200 battery, this time targeting a Russian
nuclear-capable strategic bomber, a Tu-22M3, which crashed over the
Krasnogvardeysky district of Russia’s Stavropol Krai, some 300 kilometres from
the front. The jet was on a mission to launch cruise missiles over Ukraine when it
crashed. Moscow denies the aircraft was shot down, claiming it sujered a
technical malfunction.
......
Ukraine’s success in ambushing Russian aircraft has grounded the A-50 fleet,
which has blinded Russian radar to Ukrainian activity further from the front,
Bagwell said.
“The loss of the capability will hurt Russia, no doubt about that. It’s going to make
it much harder for them to intercept or get early warning on Ukrainian missiles
and drones, it will knock anything between ten and 15 minutes oj the warning
time,” he said.
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