During a night-time attack on 30 May, operators of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine carried out an operation on the territory of a military airfield in Taganrog, reportedly disabling an Iskander operational-tactical missile system and two Tupolev Tu-142 aircraft. The information was shared on Facebook by the head of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brovdi.
The head of the structure stated that the referenced equipment, including two Tupolev Tu-142 aircraft and one Iskander missile system launcher, was destroyed by strike drones directly at the airfield in Taganrog.
Robert Brovdi separately outlined the characteristics of the targeted systems, noting that the Tu-142 is a long-range anti-submarine warfare aircraft derived from a strategic bomber platform. The other target, the Iskander operational-tactical missile system, is designed to launch short-range ballistic surface-to-surface missiles. According to the report, the enemy launcher was detected and destroyed on a firing position deployed in marshland areas near Taganrog in Russia’s Rostov region.
The operation was carried out by specialists from the 1st Separate Center for Unmanned Systems. The head of the unit emphasized that the overall outcome was significantly broader than the destruction of the specified equipment alone, noting that the explosions also had a substantial impact on the adjacent water area.
Representatives of the 1st Separate Center for Unmanned Systems within the Unmanned Systems Forces stated on their Telegram channel that the night-time events may have prevented Ukrainian civilians from facing another wave of large-scale strikes the following morning. The military added that the need to launch missiles effectively disappears when launch systems and aircraft are turned into wreckage before they can take off or fire.
In assessing the destruction of the Iskander missile system, the operational штаб reported a reduction of the enemy’s arsenal by one unit. The system was intended to carry out combat missions using surface-to-surface munitions, but the Ukrainian unmanned platform effectively reconfigured it into a state of total destruction, rendering it completely inoperable.
The strike on two Tupolev Tu-142 aircraft was described by the military as a double success. The long-range anti-submarine platforms, derived from strategic bomber designs, were reportedly located on the military site in a highly exposed position, which allowed the operators to take advantage of the opportunity and neutralize them.
Following precise strikes, both aircraft were officially reclassified as destroyed assets. Against this backdrop, representatives of the center made an ironic remark suggesting that Russian air defense systems should perhaps not be deployed at all, as they appear to demonstrate counterproductive effects – and therefore might be better conserved as a now ineffective resource.
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Source: facebook
