Ukrainian drone wrecks irreplaceable Russian bomber 800km inside the country, satellite images show it halved
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Ukrainian drone wrecks irreplaceable Russian bomber 800km inside the country, satellite images show it halved")
Tu-95 bomber destroyed at Russia's Engels-2 air base by Ukrainian drone. Photograph: (AFP)
Ukrainian drone strike completely demolished a Russian bomber that was sitting at a base 800 kilometres deep inside the country. Satellite images provided proof of the strike, showing the bomber broken into two. This is the latest achievement by Kyiv in its war against Russia.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the Security Service destroyed a Tu-95 strategic bomber at Russia's Engels-2 air base, 800 kilometres deep into the country. The strike was carried out by an SBU drone. While most of the claims during the war are without proof, satellite images confirm this particular strike. Photos from space shared by open-source intelligence group AviVector, and backed by Planet Labs satellite images, show a TU-95MS destroyed on the tarmac at the air base.
This is a significant blow to Russia's war in Ukraine. The Tu-95MS variant is the primary carrier of the Kh-101 cruise missiles that have destroyed Ukrainian cities throughout the war that has been going on for over four years. The Tu-95 first flew in 1952 and is powered by NK-12 engines, the most powerful turboprops ever built, which make the aircraft one of the loudest ever.
The irreplaceable Tu-95 bomber
The Tu-95MS can carry up to six missiles on an internal rotary launcher. The modernised Tu-95MSM can haul up to eight externally mounted Kh-101s or nuclear-tipped Kh-102s. It is basically capable of conducting a nuclear war from an airborne position, making it central to Russia's military ambitions. The loss of one such bomber is a major dent since they cannot be replaced, as the production infrastructure that created them no longer exists. The PAK DA stealth bomber program is meant to replace them but hasn't seen any strides.
The strike has once again shown Ukrainian capabilities to strike deep into Russian territory. Touting the capabilities of the drone, Ukraine said, "The SBU systematically destroys important elements of the Russian military machine." It added, "Each liquidated strategic bomber means dozens of unlaunched missiles over Ukrainian cities, saved Ukrainian lives, and tens of millions of dollars in irretrievable losses for the enemy. Russian strategic aviation can no longer feel safe even at its most remote military airfields."
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