The Russian A-50 aircraft was shot down by the S-200 long-range anti-aircraft missile system. The significant distance from the front makes it impossible to use the Patriot air defense system, writes the military analytical portal Defense Express .
According to the power steering map, which shows the plane’s flight path, its route passes south of the city, approximately 170 km from the front line.
“The destruction range of the A-50U exceeds the capabilities of even the so-called “wandering Patriot.” Because according to the known performance characteristics, the range of the GEM-T anti-aircraft missile is up to 160 km. And to this distance we must also add a logical retreat from the front edge, at least to the artillery range And thus, the main question and objectively unanswered is exactly what was used to get the Russian plane,” the experts noted.
Defense Express believes that a possible weapon that could hit at such a distance is the Soviet S-200m Vega-M air defense system with a nominal range of 240 km. According to analysts, “the fate of these air defense systems as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is generally known,” they were removed from service back in 2013. However, during a full-scale war, missile systems were used to attack ground targets, therefore, theoretically, the A-50 could be shot down precisely from the S-200 complex.