'God's Eye' could help Russia protect S-400 in Ukraine

British intelligence says Russia may be deploying A-50U early warning aircraft in Ukraine to protect its S-400 missiles from threats.

In an intelligence report on November 17, the British Ministry of Defense said that Russia likely used A-50 early warning aircraft in Ukraine to detect targets aimed at the S-400 long-range air defense system.

British intelligence said the A-50U series that Russia deployed to Ukraine is equipped with advanced radar, which can detect targets at a greater distance than the S-400's ground radar and increase the system's ability to protect against the fighters that the West is preparing to transfer to Ukraine.

"It is very likely that Russia will take the risk and deploy the A-50U closer to the front line to better fulfill its new role," the report said.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the report, but a source told TASS on November 7 that the Russian military used a combination of A-50U aircraft and S-400 systems to shoot down a target at an altitude of 1,000 meters in Ukraine.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on October 25 that Russian forces in Ukraine had received a new air defense system that had shot down 24 enemy aircraft in just five days. Experts said that the system Mr. Shoigu was referring to was the A-50 aircraft combined with the S-400.

A-50U aircraft of the Russian Air Force in a photo posted on September 22. Photo: RIA Novosti

The A-50U is known as the "eye of the sky", capable of detecting flying objects from a distance of 800 km and ground targets from 300 km. This aircraft allows Russia to build a map of air operations deep inside Ukraine without having to fly across the border, and detect low-flying aircraft in areas that the S-400's ground radar cannot observe.

The Russian Air Force is believed to have 10 A-50s in service, with at least one forward deployed in Syria and the rest rotated for operation and maintenance. Russia is developing a version of the A-100 with many superior features, but the project has stalled due to lack of funding.

Defense corporation Rostec said at the end of September that it had delivered to the Russian military two modernized A-50Us, which can detect many new generation aircraft and track a larger number of targets.

News of Russia's deployment of A-50Us in Ukraine comes as Kiev prepares to receive F-16 fighter jets, after months of calling on Western countries to provide the modern US-made fighter jets.

The situation of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Graphics: RYV

Denmark has pledged to deliver 19 F-16 fighters to Ukraine, with the first batch of six to be delivered this year, followed by eight in 2024 and five in 2025. Several countries have also promised to provide F-16s to Ukraine, but have not yet announced a delivery schedule.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the F-16s "will strengthen Ukraine's air defense capabilities" and help them in their ongoing counter-offensive. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Shoigu said that it would only take the Russian military 20 days to take out all the F-16s that the West had promised to deliver to Kiev.

Pham Giang (According to Business Insider )

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