Russian A-50U blown up in Belarus: the Russian Federation has only six such planes and the cost of one is $330 million

On 26 February, explosions broke out at the Machulishchi military airfield near Minsk (Belarus): an A-50 Russian reconnaissance aircraft was attacked.

Here's What We Know

The Belaruski Gayun monitoring group writes that as a result of the explosions, a Russian Air Force A-50U reconnaissance aircraft, registration number RF-50608, was seriously damaged. It arrived in Belarus on January 3, 2023 and made 12 sorties during 54 days of stay. Prior to that, the aircraft arrived on 24 February 2022, the day Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The attack damaged the plane's front and centre sections, avionics and radar antenna. The media reported that the sabotage was masterminded by Belarusian partisans who used drones to blow it up.

The Russian air and space forces have only nine such aircraft, with only six upgraded ones (with the "U" modification). The cost of one aircraft is $330 million.

Source: Belaruski Hayun