Ukraine’s Use of Ex-Soviet Missiles to Shoot Down Russian Planes: A Surprising Revelation
In a surprising revelation, it has been discovered that the Ukrainian air force did not use an American-made Patriot missile to shoot down a Russian air force A-50 radar plane. Instead, they employed an ex-Soviet 5V28 missile, which is part of the S-200 air-defense system. This revelation has caught many observers off guard, as they had assumed that the Ukrainian military was equipped with Patriot missiles.
The incident occurred when the Russian A-50 radar plane was approximately 120 miles away from the front line in southern Ukraine. The fact that the plane was shot down from such a distance should have been a clue that it was not a Patriot missile responsible for the attack. Patriots typically have a range of no more than 90 miles, whereas the S-200 can hit targets up to 150 miles away or even farther.
It was already known that Ukraine had reactivated some of their aged S-200 batteries, which were previously maintained by the Soviet air force across the country. These missiles have been used against ground targets in occupied Ukraine and even in Russia itself. However, it was not known until now that the Ukrainians were also utilizing these missiles against aerial targets.
While the S-200 air-defense system is not as accurate as the Patriot, it compensates for this with its sheer power. The 5V28 missile, weighing eight tons, is equipped with a massive 500-pound warhead. Developed by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s to target U.S. Air Force heavy bombers, the S-200 was retired by Ukraine over a decade ago due to its cumbersome nature and high upgrade costs.
However, there were discussions about reactivating some S-200s and retrofitting them with new seekers developed for the smaller S-125 air-defense system. The recent success of the Ukrainian S-200s in surface-to-surface operations suggests that their engineers may have installed a better seeker in the 5V28 missile. The effectiveness of this seeker in the surface-to-air role remains uncertain.
The shoot-down of the Russian A-50 radar plane marks a return to form for the classic missile that was specifically designed by the Soviets to target large, slow planes. The A-50 fits this description perfectly, making it an ideal target for the S-200 missile.
Now, the question arises as to how many 5V28 missiles Ukraine has left. It is possible that they still possess a significant number, potentially even hundreds or a thousand, from when they last retired the S-200 in 2013. However, these chemical-filled missiles have a limited lifespan, so it is also plausible that Ukraine received fresh batches of 5V28s from their allies who still operate the S-200, such as Poland or Bulgaria.
The use of ex-Soviet missiles by Ukraine to shoot down Russian planes is a surprising revelation that highlights the country’s military capabilities and the ongoing conflict in the region. As tensions continue to escalate, it remains to be seen how this revelation will impact the dynamics between Ukraine and Russia.