Ukraine destroys Russia’s only flying test aircraft for airborne laser weaponshttps://interestingengineering.com/military/ukraine-destroys-russia-laser-weapon-planeA Ukrainian strike on an aircraft plant in southwestern Russia appears to have destroyed a rare Russian airborne laser testbed and at least one other advanced military aircraft, according to satellite imagery and reports from both sides.
The attack late Tuesday hit the Beriev aircraft manufacturing facility in Taganrog, a major center for Russia’s military aviation programs.
Videos posted on social media showed a large fire burning on the flight line, with one clip capturing an aircraft engulfed in flames.
Russia’s ‘one-of-a-kind’ laser test aircraft
Imagery reviewed after the strike shows that the burning airframe was the A-60, a one-of-a-kind Soviet-designed laser test aircraft built from an Il-76MD transport.
The destruction marks a significant blow to Russia, as the A-60 was the country’s only flying test platform for airborne laser weapons, a program whose current status had already been unclear.
Satellite images also show another aircraft destroyed nearby, likely a testbed for Russia’s A-100 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) project.
Putting the import of this in context, the Beriev A-50 is Russia's approximate equivalent of of the USAF AWACS. The A-50 is aging and a couple/few have been lost due to the Ukraine war (Russia only had a few). Their new AWACS platform is the A-100. Two have been built. One is undergoing test, and the other, the A-100LL destroyed, was their testbed for new equipment. Given Russia's problems with obtaining tech, replacing this A-100LL while fixing issues found in the existing A-100 will be challenging.
Laser weapons, of course, are still a development frontier. Losing their lone testbed will set back Russia's Laser R & D significantly.
The plant that was hit is, IIRC, one of two Russia has for servicing and upgrading the veberable Tu-95 "Bear", Russia's analog to the USAF's B-52. Tu-95s have been used, with some lost, against Ukraine.
All in all, this was a significant blow both to Putin's attempt to conquer Ukraine and to the future of the Russian military, benefitting pretty much the whole world.
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