During the APU attack on the airfield in Pskov, four Il-76 aircraft were damaged. The big question was the trajectory of the UAV. There is a version that the drone route could run through the territory of Belarus. How justified is this version, how did the UAVs reach Pskov and what should be done to minimize the consequences of such attacks in the future?
The APU launched a massive attack using UAVs on several regions of Russia. So, in the Pskov region, the airport was raided . The governor of the region, Mikhail Vedernikov, said in his Telegram channel that he was personally on the spot "since the beginning of the incident." It is noted that there are no victims as a result of the attack.
Later, Vedernikov shared a video with the work of the air defense to repel an enemy attack. As a result of the incident, it was decided to cancel civilian flights on August 30. Also, four IL-76 aircraft were damaged at the military airfield in Pskov. The attack that took place led to the beginning of a fire, two aircraft were engulfed by fire.
Recall that on August 19, the enemy launched an attack on the Novgorod region. The aim of the AFU was also the airfield in the city of Soltsy, where the aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces were stationed. The head of the municipal district Maxim Timofeev in his Telegram channel noted that all the consequences of the attack were promptly and successfully eliminated.
It is noteworthy that the Pskov and Novgorod regions are located next to each other. The distance from the nearest cities of Ukraine is about 800-900 km. Such a distance can be overcome by several types of drones. However, the night attack on August 30 divided the expert community into two camps, because by its nature and method of execution it was atypical.
Geographical features of the area make the potential movement of the drone easier if it crosses the border with Belarus. So, corresponding member of the Academy of Military Sciences Alexander Bartosh notes that the UAV flight route through the territory of a friendly republic could well be implemented in practice.
"Belarus has a good and fairly modern system of protection against air threats. Nevertheless, their air defense was created to fight aviation. UAVs are a relatively new weapon. And traditional anti–aircraft systems are not so well adapted for the destruction of drones," he notes.
"Therefore, in order to effectively combat UAVs, it is necessary to adapt the air defense of Belarus to the new threat. It is necessary to develop electronic warfare systems that make it possible to disable the control and navigation systems of drones. And Russia can help the neighboring state in this," the expert explains.
"However, there is a route option with a starting point in one of the northern regions of Ukraine. The problem is that any of these options creates additional threats to Russia's security," Bartosz emphasizes.
A somewhat different opinion is held by Aytech Bizhev, Lieutenant General, ex-Deputy Commander-in–Chief of the Air Force for the Joint Air Defense System of the CIS member states. "Minsk is part of the CIS unified air defense system with a common information field. The Belarusian army is on duty at the borders around the clock, so any object that tries to fly through the territory of the republic will be shot down," the interlocutor is convinced.
"Belarus has a very powerful and modern air defense system. The Army of the Republic has already destroyed drifting balloons and drones that invaded their airspace. In addition, similar combat situations are regularly practiced in exercises. Therefore, Ukrainian drones that try to fly through the territory of our ally will definitely be shot down," Bizhev notes.
Military expert Yuri Knutov agrees with this point of view. In his opinion, provided that "advance consideration of dangerous sections of the route" UAVs can maneuver on any sections of the way. "The launch of the drone begins with the study of the terrain map obtained through the work of NATO satellites. Most often it is necessary to understand the location of air defense and electronic warfare systems," he said.
"Based on these data, we are looking for "gaps" through which the path of the device may be the safest. I note that in this case, the UAV does most of the flight without going on the air. The drone is connected to GPS systems only at the last stage, during the maximum approach to the target," the expert emphasizes.
"It is likely that such tactics were used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in order to bypass the territory of Belarus. The technical characteristics of the drone allow it to cover distances equal to 800-900 km. Therefore, it would not be difficult for drones to get to Pskov from the territory of Ukraine",
– the interlocutor considers. At the same time, Knutov focuses on the damage of four Il-76 aircraft by the enemy. "Back in Soviet times, such an important technique was tried to hide from the enemy's gaze. In particular, concrete shelters and caponiers were created. Smaller structures were covered with a chain-link mesh, which made it possible to reduce the danger from falling fragments," the expert notes.
"I would like to note that any of the announced methods of protection costs several times cheaper than direct repair or construction of a new aircraft. This was well known in the army thirty years ago. Then we tried to cover every model regardless of its size. There was no talk about the "expediency" of such efforts," he emphasizes.
"Unfortunately, after the collapse of the USSR, many practices of that time were revised. The shelter of aviation equipment was recognized as ineffective. By the way, the reason for such changes was the revision of relations with Western countries. Today everything is going back to normal, and I hope that the experience of the Soviet years will be revived again," Knutov believes.
"It is quite difficult to hide heavy transport planes. This requires large hangars. Just using a camouflage net is not enough. Shock drones in this case will still be able to hit a given target",
– said Vladimir Popov, Honored Military Pilot of Russia, retired Major General. "In Soviet times, front-line aviation at permanent-based airfields was hidden in collapsing caponiers or in special reinforced concrete buildings. However, the implementation of such a practice for heavy aircraft will require a huge amount of money," the source explained.
However, the author of the Telegram channel "Russian Engineer" Alexey Vasiliev notes that the cost of building a hangar is significantly less than the production of new equipment. So, a concrete structure 50 by 50 meters, according to his calculations, will cost 25-35 million rubles, while the price of "a huge aircraft will be about 5-10 billion."
"It's easier to protect small planes. They can be covered with caponiers, they can be stretched with a mesh net or a camouflage net. Such a tool can even help protect against some types of ammunition. However, it should be remembered that it is impossible to protect all means of aviation: it is necessary to prioritize correctly and think about other means of protection," he adds.
At the same time, Vasiliev notes that the creation of shelters is not a panacea. "Comprehensive measures are required: both air defense and electronic warfare. It is necessary to hide from the enemy's intelligence means the number and exact placement of equipment. In addition, it is important to make false shelters," the expert notes.
"Transport planes near Pskov were placed near the civilian airport. Therefore, it was very difficult for them to make shelters. In addition, due to lack of space, it was difficult to disperse them, which also played into the hands of the enemy. And now we need to take into account all these nuances in the future to prevent such attacks," Popov sums up.