A few days ago belarusian media reported saboteurs managed to damage a russian A-50 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system stationed at the Machulishchy air base in belarus. The reports were saying that the radar plane suffered a drone attack and got its antenna damaged, while the guerillas managed to escape the country.
Today, belarusian opposition media BYPOL published a video showing a reconnaissance mission of what looks like a simple commercial use quadcopter drone to the air base and back. In the fragment published, the drone approaches the airfield and even lands on top of the flat antenna of the A-50, the one that was attacked afterwards.
Read more: Unexpected Assault On the A-50U Early Warning And Control Aircraft: russia Seems To Have Decided To "Forget" About a $330 Million Plane
This episode is quite demonstrative in terms of how tight air defenses of russia and belarus are around such important facilities, especially if we recall that it's not only the $330-million A-50 stationed there but also MiG-31K planes, the carriers of "Kinzhal" hypersonic missiles.
There are also satellite images of the A-50 taken on the morning of February 28, two days after the attack. Although the "Belaruski Gayun" community noticed that the aircraft was relocated from its usual position, there is no significant damage visible in these images. Therefore, it looks like the alleged drone attack could not inflict critical damage.
However, on March 2, Belaruski Gayun reported that the A-50 AEW&C system left belarusian airspace for russia. According to preliminary data, it was sent to the 325th Aviation Repair Plant in Taganrog.
Anyway, it's still too early to assess the damage inflicted to the A-50 and how quickly it will return. But the fact how easily the scout drone entered the territory of the military facility once again shows the effectiveness of the russian and belarusian air defenses, because it is not the first such occasion. For instance, we should as well recall the kamikaze drones over Belgorod and strike on Tuapse recently.
Read more: Kamikaze Drones in Belgorod and Tuapse: Analyzing Ukraine's Capabilities for Long Range Strikes and Attack Routes