Ukraine's daring drone attack on multiple Russian airfields Sunday claimed to destroy 41 Russian aircraft, including hard-to-replace strategic bombers like the A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22M, and Tu-160. Operation Spiderweb targeted key Russian air assets, significantly impacting Russia's air power and situational awareness. Videos show burning aircraft, highlighting the devastating impact on Russia's military capabilities
Ukraine's daring "Operation Spiderweb" used drones launched from trucks near Russian airfields to strike multiple aircraft, including A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22, Tu-160 bombers, and other key assets. Footage, including drone video from Business Insider, shows burning Russian bombers, highlighting the significant impact of this SBU operation
Ukraine's daring drone attack on Russian airfields reportedly damaged or destroyed a range of aircraft, including the A-50 airborne early warning & control plane, Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160 bombers, An-12 transports, and Il-78 tankers. This significant strike targeted key Russian air assets like the strategic A-50 and long-range bombers such as the Tu-22M, impacting Russia's air power capabilities
Russia's A-50 Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft are crucial for maintaining air superiority. The loss of even one A-50 significantly degrades the Russian Air Force's situational awareness, impacting its ability to detect enemy aircraft, missiles, air defenses, and ground targets. These costly ($300 million each) mobile command-and-control centers are essential for coordinating and directing attacks, making their destruction a major blow to Russian military operations
Ukraine's successful strikes against Russia's airfields have significantly depleted its air power, including the critical A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft. Multiple A-50s, each costing an estimated $300 million, have been shot down, leaving Russia with only a handful remaining. This loss severely impacts Russia's air force situational awareness and command capabilities
Ukraine's daring drone attacks on Russian airfields reportedly damaged aircraft crucial for missile strikes, including Tu-22M bombers known for carrying devastating Kh-22 missiles responsible for significant damage in Ukraine. These attacks targeted key Russian military assets like the A-50 early warning aircraft and other strategic bombers, significantly impacting Russia's air capabilities
Tupolev Tu-22M Backfire: A supersonic, long-range Soviet-era bomber, designed to deliver devastating strikes against ground and naval targets using guided missiles and bombs. This strategic aircraft, costing an estimated $100 million, carries Kh-22 missiles capable of inflicting significant damage, as seen in attacks on Ukrainian cities like Odesa
Ukraine's military intelligence confirmed last year that Russia's Tu-22M bombers, capable of carrying devastating Kh-22 missiles responsible for significant damage in cities like Odesa, are key targets in the ongoing conflict
Ukraine's daring drone attacks on Russian airfields have reportedly destroyed several Tu-22M supersonic bombers, both airborne and on the ground within Russia. These costly Soviet-era bombers, estimated at $100 million each, are crucial for Russia's long-range missile strikes and represent a significant loss to their air force capabilities
The Tupolev Tu-95: A Cold War-era, long-range turboprop bomber used by Russia in its attacks on Ukraine. This strategic aircraft carries eight long-range cruise missiles, capable of deploying both conventional and nuclear warheads
Russia also employs the Tu-160, a supersonic, long-range strategic bomber from the Soviet era, capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional cruise missiles, in its attacks on Ukraine
Ukraine's daring airfield attacks reportedly crippled multiple Russian bombers, including the Tu-95 and Tu-160, heavily utilized for launching Kh-101 missiles against Ukraine, according to Royal United Services Institute airpower expert Justin Bonk
Ukraine's daring drone attack on Russian airfields inflicted an estimated $7 billion in damage, targeting key aircraft like the A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160 bombers. This operation, dubbed "Spiderweb," aimed to significantly curtail Russia's ongoing air assault on Ukraine. While the damage figure remains unverified, the attack's impact on Russia's air capabilities is undeniable
Ukraine's daring drone strikes on Russian airfields delivered a powerful message of retribution for nightly attacks on Ukrainian soil. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) employed Operation Spiderweb, utilizing drones to target crucial Russian aircraft, including A-50 early warning planes, Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160 bombers, and other strategic assets. The SBU is committed to protecting Ukraine and will continue its efforts to neutralize the Russian aerial threat
Ukraine's daring drone strikes on Russian airfields inflicted significant damage, targeting irreplaceable strategic aircraft. While the monetary cost of the destroyed planes—including A-50s, Tu-95s, Tu-22Ms, and Tu-160 bombers—is substantial (with A-50s estimated at $300 million each and Tu-22Ms around $100 million), the loss of these advanced assets, especially the A-50's crucial situational awareness capabilities, represents a critical blow to Russia's air power and its ability to wage war
Production of the Tu-95 and Tu-22M stopped after the USSR collapsed in 1991. Russia also no longer makes A-50s, though it said last year that production may restart. Tu-160s are still made, but slowly. Reports indicate only two have been made since 2022.
Bronk said replacing the losses will be “very challenging” for Russia.
“The Tu-95 has not been produced for more than 30 years and production/modernisation of the Tu-160 is at a very limited scale,” he said in emailed comments to BI.
Maliuk said that “34% of strategic cruise missile carriers at the main Russian airfields were hit.” Imagery from the sites confirms some of the reported destruction.
Satellite images from company Capella Space and seen by Reuters show what experts told the outlet appeared to be several destroyed and damaged Tu-95s and Tu-22s.
Bronk said that the destruction that can be seen visually shows “this is a stunning success for Ukraine’s special services.” He pointed to confirmation of the destruction of around eight Tu-95 bombers, a Tu-22M3, and several other aircraft.
The 41 aircraft figure given by Ukraine is being debated. Some analyses based on visual evidence that is available so far have pointed to a lower figure.
Bronk said that if even half of Ukraine’s claim of 41 aircraft were damaged or destroyed, “it will have a significant impact” on Russia’s ability to “keep up its regular large scale cruise missile salvos against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure” while also keeping up its nuclear deterrence and signaling patrols against NATO and Japan.
How the attack affects the battlefield, where Ukraine is facing a relentless push from Russia’s larger military and dampening US support, remains to be seen.
Dan Grazier, a security expert at the Stimson Center, told BI that he was skeptical that it was “really going to move the needle in one way or the other” on the battlefield.
That said, the attack is still significant and rewrites the rules of warfare, experts say.
The SBU said the attack hit four Russian airfields simultaneously across three time zones, explaining that the plan allowed it to hit the largest number of Russian aircraft at the same time.
It said it brought drones in mobile containers into Russia, hiding the drones on trucks. The container roofs were opened remotely “at the right moment” and the drones struck their targets. The details of the operation have not been independently verified.
It said the operation was planned for more than a year and a half.
Tim Robinson, a military aviation specialist at the UK’s Royal Aeronautical Society, told BI the attack will spook Western air forces. “If you’re an Air Force chief and you are not lying awake at night thinking about how to protect you, you’re going to lose the next war.”
And it’s a statement of intent from Ukraine.
Maliuk said “the enemy thought it could bomb Ukraine and kill Ukrainians endlessly and with impunity. This is not the case. We will respond to russian terror and destroy the enemy everywhere — at sea, in the air and on land.”
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