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​One of Four russian An-30 'Clank' Reconnaissance Aircraft Spotted in Syrian Sky

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russia's Antonov An-30 aerial cartography and reconnaissance aircraft / Open source illustrative photo
russia's Antonov An-30 aerial cartography and reconnaissance aircraft / Open source illustrative photo

The russians still use the old Soviet-made An-30 aerial cartography and reconnaissance aircraft (NATO reporting name: Clank), which made its first flight back in 1967

A video appeared on social networks showing the flight of the An-30 reconnaissance aircraft of the so-called russian Aerospace Forces in the sky over Syria, in the area of the city of Idlib, west of Aleppo.

At the same time, it is assumed that this russian reconnaissance aircraft is making his next flight precisely against the background of reports of a possible attack by Syrian opposition forces in the direction of the city of Aleppo.

Read more: ​russia Has Enhanced the Shahed-136 Drone with New Technology, Different Head and Satellite Communication for Long-Range Capabilities

These shots attract attention not only by indicating that hostilities may intensify again in Syria, for the conduct of which the contingent of russian troops present there may be involved. In this case, it could be that the russians are still using a rare type of reconnaissance aircraft, which is already a surprise to see in modern conditions.

In particular, the russian Aerospace Forces may currently have only four An-30 aerial cartography and reconnaissance aircraft at their disposal. At the same time, it is known that russia has about fifty Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft.

It is interesting that during the summer of 2024, there were several reports of an apparently "dangerous approach" of the planes of Western countries to the russian An-30 during flights over Syria. But it seems that only now it was possible to film the russian An-30 in the Syrian sky, after which the video mentioned above appeared on social networks.

One of Four russian An-30 Clank Reconnaissance Aircraft Spotted in Syrian Sky, russian Aerospace Forces, An-30 aerial cartography and reconnaissance aircraft, Defense Express
russian Aerospace Forces An-30 aerial cartography and reconnaissance aircraft / Open source illustrative photo

The specificity of the An-30 is that this aircraft is designed for aerial photography. To perform this task, aircraft need to literally fly over the target, and in modern conditions it is possible to do this only if there are no means of enemy air defense. Obviously, it is precisely this circumstance that forces the russians to use their An-30s only in the skies above Syria, where there is practically no threat to these aircraft.

The characteristics of the An-30 aerial cartography and reconnaissance aircraft are following:

• fuselage length and wingspan – 24.26 meters and 29.02 meters, respectively;

• maximum take-off weight – 23 tons, in particular, the weight of camera equipment on board – 650 kilograms;

• maximum flight speed – 540 km/h;

• operating range – 1,240 kilometers;

• crew – 6 people + 1 operator.

As Defense Express reported, Ukrainian Air Force Allegedly Shot Down russian Su-34 Using F-16. We also wrote, that Ukrainian Intelligence Released Exclusive Footage of Devastating Drone Strikes on russia.

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