Ukraine mistakenly destroyed a decommissioned Tu-142 aircraft.

GD&TĐ - Ukraine attempted a large-scale drone attack on the city of Taganrog in Russia's Rostov region.

According to local residents and monitoring sources, the primary target of the attack was likely the local military airfield. Preliminary estimates suggest that Tu-142 long-range anti-submarine aircraft were stationed at this strategic facility, and a fire was recorded when the Ukrainian UAV struck the aircraft.

However, the two Tu-142 aircraft attacked by the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces had been stored long-term since 2011 at the Taganrog Aviation Plant.

The military reached this conclusion based on analysis of satellite imagery and publicly available information. This unit maintains four Tu-142 aircraft of two variants: Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft (MR) and Anti-Submarine Aircraft (MK).

They all sat in the parking lot for a long time and were not moved until April 17, 2026.

The position of the Tu-142 and other aircraft at Taganrog Aircraft Factory airfield on April 17, 2026.

Starting on April 27th and ending on May 19th, a period of one month, the Russians moved three of the four Tu-142s from the parking area near the main workshop of the aircraft factory to the auxiliary runways.

The Tu-142 aircraft will be moved to Taganrog Airport in April-May 2026.

The reason for these activities remains unknown; it could be dismantling work for further restoration and repair, or preparation for a flight to a safer location for the aircraft.

Another likely reason is the use of them as bait for attacks by the Ukrainian Security and Defense Forces.

Media outlets know that four Tu-142 aircraft have been stored at this plant since at least 2011, three of which can be identified as:

• The Tu-142MK aircraft bears the red tail number "71".
• The Tu-142MR aircraft has the red tail number "25";
• The Tu-142MR aircraft bears the tail number "14" in black;
• The fourth Tu-142 could not be identified.

This is an image of the Tu-142MR aircraft that was shot down on the night of May 30, 2026.

Initial images from the attack showed the Tu-142MR damaged, and in another shot, it was engulfed in flames. It was identifiable by the distinctive placement of components on its vertical tail fin.

This image shows the Tu-142MK aircraft being shot down on the night of May 30, 2026.

The remaining affected aircraft was a Tu-142MK, identifiable by its vertical stabilizer, which differs from the MR version.

Thus, both Tu-142 aircraft that were hit by gunfire are no longer in active service with the Russian armed forces, and the reason for their relocation remains uncertain.

According to Militarnyi

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/ukraine-pha-huy-nham-may-bay-tu-142-da-ngung-hoat-dong-post779894.html