UK intelligence clarifies importance of Russian A-50 plane blown up in Belarus

On 7 March, Belarusian President Alexandr Lukashenko confirmed that one of Russia’s small fleet of A-50U MAINSTAY D airborne early warning and control aircraft deployed in Belarus had been damaged.

Caliber.Az reports referring to the Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine, which is published by the UK Defence Ministry on March 9.

The aircraft was almost certainly attacked by a small uncrewed air system.

"The MAINSTAY has likely now been moved to a repair facility at Taganrog in Russia. The transit flight reportedly took place at a lower-than-usual altitude, likely because of damage to the pressurised cabin. The MAINSTAY was likely providing situational awareness for MiG-31K FOXHOUND D fighter aircraft modified to launch the AS-24 KILLJOY air-launched ballistic missile which Russia sees as a key strategic capability," the report added.

"The modification saw the jets’ internal radar removed to balance the airframe, making pilots reliant on external sources of situational awareness, such as MAINSTAY. It is a realistic possibility that joint Russo-Belarusian air activity will now be forced to rely on ground control and fighter escort until another MAINSTAY can be deployed," the defence ministry said.