Multiple Russian sources confirmed the Ukrainian claim of a Tu-22M3 strategic Russian bomber being shot down by a surface-to-air missile on Friday. It is the first time since World War II that a Soviet or Russian bomber has fallen victim to hostile fire. The Tu-22 is a supersonic, long-range, strategic, and maritime strike aircraft. It entered Soviet service in 1970. The aircraft has a variable geometry wing, which was state-of-the-art at the time of its design.
During the Ukraine War, Backfire was extensively used as a cruise missile launcher. A Tu-22 aircraft was lost in Russia due to mechanical failure or operator error. Several other aircraft have been damaged or lost due to drone attacks by the Ukrainians on their bases in Russia.
The Tu-22M3 typically launches missiles over the Black Sea and Kursk Oblast. The Backfire can carry missiles with a maximum range of 320 miles to 540 miles.
The video was the first evidence of the loss. Here I give the honor to Colonel (retired), Douglas Macgregor who is a Putinist sockpuppet.
DEVELOPMENT: Russian long-range bomber crashes east of Crimea in Southern Russia.
— Douglas Macgregor (@DougAMacgregor) April 19, 2024
FYI: A second Tu-22 turned around without launching its weapon. Also, the body of one of the crewmembers of the downed aircraft was recovered.#OSINT #UkraineRussiaWar #UkraineWar #UkraineKrieg #Ukraine #Russia
Re-Tweet Appreciated pic.twitter.com/S1Zpr7Lir4
— OSINT (Uri) 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@UKikaski) April 19, 2024
It is most likely that the S-200 system was used, which was first introduced in 1967 and has been steadily improved over the years. Ukraine decommissioned its S-200 battery in 2013 but will reactivate them in 2022. The system was designed for the engagement of SR-71 reconnaissance planes and was capable of nuclear weapons.
⚡️”The 🇷🇺Russian Tu-22M3 bomber was hit by a 🇺🇦Ukrainian S-200 air defense system,” sources of Channel 24 said. pic.twitter.com/jRKgxPPUy5
— 🇺🇦Ukrainian Front (@front_ukrainian) April 19, 2024
Ukraine’s Armed Forces released a video showing the battle from the command center. It’s your call.
Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence posts the video of what it says is the air defense crew shooting down the Russian Tu-22 strategic bomber, the first such downing since the war began. GUR said Ukraine struck the plane 300km away, using the same undisclosed means that downed the… pic.twitter.com/kwd6STn4o1
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) April 19, 2024
Initial disbelief was shown at the Ukrainian claim. However, open-source data shows that Backfire occurred at a known range for the S-200. In 2001, an errant S-200 launched from a Ukrainian range in Crimea was responsible for the destruction of Siberian Air Flight 1812. It crashed over 350 km from the launch area. The Tu-22M3 crashed about 300km away from Ukrainian territory.
It is not the first time Ukraine has fired long-range shots at high-value Russian assets. Russia lost three aircraft outside the range of Ukrainian air defense. It is not known what exact procedure Ukrainians use to acquire targets, but it appears that they rely heavily on Russian aircraft performing strategic missions in a predictable time frame and flight path.
The video of this crash shows that the Tu-22M3 was hit by a missile and limped home until it suffered engine failure.
This engagement will not change the game, but it will make Russia’s Strategic Bomber Force much more cautious for future operations.
