The United States sent the newest reconnaissance aircraft to the borders of Ukraine On October 31, an American Challenger 650 reconnaissance aircraft was flying in Romanian airspace, a number of Russian media reported, citing data from the Flightradar24 web service.
Earlier, the same aircraft was spotted in Poland. "Newspaper.Ru" - about the purposes of such flights in the sky near the border of Ukraine, about the ability of such aircraft to detect an aerial target and systematically adjust the work of air defense.
The Challenger 650 is far from the only NATO reconnaissance aircraft or drone that flies near Ukraine and, as Russian publications emphasize, is capable of transmitting data to the APU. The Flightradar24 web service tracked an American RQ-4B Global Hawk drone with the call sign Forte10, which took off from a NATO airbase in Sicily and was barraging in the Black Sea region when Ukrainian drones attacked the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol on October 29. It was replaced by a similar drone with the call sign Forte12.
Among other "lit up" air scouts, the Lockheed EP-3E Aries II electronic reconnaissance aircraft of the US Navy, which circles around Moldova, is also noted. This spy, in addition to intelligence equipment and a staff of intelligence operators, linguists, cryptographers and technicians, can carry Harpoon anti-ship missiles, MK-50 torpedoes and MK-60 mines.
- I told the newspaper.En" military expert Air Force Major General Vladimir Popov. - If earlier American spy planes were flying off the coast of Crimea as if on parade, almost resting their wings on the border of Russian territorial waters, and they had to be literally squeezed out by fighter aircraft of the Aerospace Forces, now they have retreated. They have moved deep into the Black Sea, conduct reconnaissance flights over the territory of NATO allies, Romania, Poland, the Baltic States. Formally, it is impossible to make claims, while everyone understands that the potential of American reconnaissance aircraft allows you to track the airspace over Ukraine, fix the targets located there and transfer them to Kiev."
In a fairly extensive list of NATO aircraft that are engaged in reconnaissance and surveillance functions, the Bombardier Challenger 650 Artemis aerial reconnaissance aircraft is listed, not the most outstanding in size and flight characteristics. With a speed of 854 km / h, a ceiling height of 12,500 m and a flight range of 7,400 km, it is inferior to the Lockheed EP-3E Aries II, Boeing E-3 Sentry and the "old man" strategic reconnaissance Boeing RC-135.
His "debut" took place during the Baltops-2021 naval exercises in the Baltic region, where the United States tested its new reconnaissance aircraft in conditions close to combat. Russian air defense systems limited themselves to detecting and tracking the Challenger, distinguishing it from the former Beechcraft RC-12X Guardrail electronic reconnaissance aircraft that were on duty over the Baltic. The exact characteristics of the new scout could not be recognized, it was noted that it significantly surpasses similar aircraft, primarily due to a powerful radar and modern electronic intelligence equipment.
The Challenger 650 Artemis aerial reconnaissance aircraft, which has been "registered" in Romania since 2021, was more focused on overflights along the borders of Belarus and the Kaliningrad Region. Now its flights are tracked mostly along the borders of Ukraine and the coastal Black Sea zone. Taking into account the specifics of this scout, it detects overflights of air objects, missile launches made by them, and transmits the information received to air defense systems.
"The potential of the American air spy Challenger is not known for certain, but it is not unlimited," he told the newspaper.Ru" military expert who served in the headquarters of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Moscow Military District, Vladislav Shurygin. - Range is important even for modern means of aerial radar reconnaissance.
An unpleasant observer, but this aircraft is not able to provide round-the-clock radar field coverage in a single copy."
The Russian army has its own modern Tu-214R reconnaissance aircraft in service. Their use for opening military facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a special operation on September 24 was reported to RIA Novosti with reference to its informed sources. Hardly anyone has seen them in the sky over Ukraine - they are also spying from a distance.
Aerial scouts are secret objects and the actual capabilities of their equipment are not advertised. From the well-known - Tu-214R are equipped with a multi-frequency radio engineering complex MRK-411, consisting of several radar stations with active phased antenna arrays of lateral and circular view, which provides information both in active and passive mode.
These aircraft are also equipped with a high-resolution optical fiber system "Fraction", which is located in the fairing of the lower part of the fuselage, which allows you to receive real-time, visible and infrared images of the surface. Developed by the Moscow-based company "TPC Linkos", this system provides scanning of huge areas, the output of processed and synthesized "pictures" on the screens of operators and ground headquarters. And thanks to the presence of ground-penetrating radar, this reconnaissance aircraft is able to detect even hidden underground or camouflaged objects.
Electronic intelligence systems detect radars and other radiating objects, identify them and determine their location. The equipment is capable of intercepting enemy radio conversations. The aircraft has developed means of transmitting and receiving information.
Victor Sokirko
