The Ukrainian Air Forces shot down two important Russian vessels – a long-range radar detection aircraft and an air control post. Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny confirmed this information.
According to Forbes, the cost of the basic version of the A-50 is $330M, and the upgraded version is about $500M. If the aircraft is destroyed, it is the Russian Federation’s most expensive loss since the sinking of the cruiser MOSKVA, worth $750M.
In total, Russia has 16 A-50 aircraft of various configurations. Most likely, Russia can no longer manufacture or modernize these aviation complexes. The main advantage of the A-50 over ground-based radars is the ability to detect targets at up to 600 km.
The cost of the downed IL-22 is estimated at $30M. At the beginning of 2024, Russia had 31 aircraft of this model. The A-50 and IL-22 work in conjunction.