The Russian Aerospace Forces have lost a bomber that was shot down. An anti-aircraft missile fired by the Ukrainian armed forces hit the Su-24 bomber. The attack against the Russian aircraft was carried out over the Kherson region.
The information about the downing of a Russian bomber comes from the Air Force Command of UA Armed Forces via a Facebook post. There is no official confirmation from the Russian side, but there is no refutation of this claim either.
Within two hours in the afternoon (between 14:00 and 16:00), in addition to the Su-24, Ukraine claimed to have shot down one Su-25 attack aircraft and one drone, also from Russia’s inventory. 160th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade downed Su-24, Ukraine says. This brigade is assigned to the Southern Odessa Air Command. The Su-25 was shot down by the 11th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, which is part of the Western Command in the Donetsk region.
More about the Sukhoi Su-24 bomber
The Sukhoi Su-24 is a Russian supersonic bomber developed and manufactured during the era of the Soviet Union. In the mid-1970s, it entered service with the Russian Aerospace Forces. In addition to Russia, Ukraine also has such bombers. Other operators of this aircraft are Iran and Algeria.
The Su-24 has participated in almost all military conflicts from the early 1980s to today. Several modifications of the aircraft have been developed, including one for export [Su-24MK Fencer-D].
The plane’s crew consists of two people. The Su-24 is powered by two Lyulka AL-21F-3A turbojet engines, 75 kN [17,000 lbf] thrust each dry, 109.8 kN [24,700 lbf] with an afterburner. Its maximum flight speed is Mach 1.6. Its combat range is 615 km [382 mi, 332 nmi] lo-lo-lo attack mission with 3,000 kg [6,614 lb] of ordnance and external tanks. The maximum load that pilots must take per flight time is g limits +6.
The aircraft is armed with air-to-air, air-to-ground, anti-ship missiles, as well as more than ten types of bombs from the KAB and RBK series. The bombs are guided, laser-guided, TV-guided as well as cluster bombs. An internal 23 mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-23M rotary cannon with 500 rounds is integrated as additional armament for close air combat. The aircraft has a total of 9 hardpoints with a capacity of up to 8,000 kg [17,635 lb].
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 21 February 2022, the Russian government claimed that Ukrainian shelling had destroyed an FSB border facility on the Russia Ukraine border. Moscow also claimed that it had killed 5 Ukrainian soldiers who tried to cross into Russian territory. Ukraine denied being involved in both incidents and called them a false flag.
On the same day, the Russian government formally recognized the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR as independent states. According to Putin not only in their de-facto controlled areas, but the Ukrainian Oblasts as a whole. Putin ordered Russian troops, including tanks, to enter the regions.
On 24 February 2022, Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine by Russian Armed Forces previously concentrated along the border. The invasion followed by targeted airstrikes of military buildings in the country. The invasion followed also by targeted tanks entering via Belarus border.
Russia has so far not recognized the invasion of Ukraine as a “war”, although that is exactly what it is, claiming that it is a “special military operation”. According to the UN, in which Russia has its permanent representation, for military action to be defined as a “special military operation”, it must have a resolution issued by the UN. There is no such resolution, which automatically defines the military actions of the Russians as an invasion and war against the citizens of Ukraine.
