Will Russian “AWACS” A-50 Follow NATO Exercises? – Photo by mil.ru
The first satellite photos of the A-50 early warning and command aircraft after the attack on the Machulyshchi airfield near Minsk appeared on the Internet. Damage, if any, is barely visible. However, this may be due to the relatively low resolution of the photos published so far.
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The photos available so far are from the morning of February 28. The machine is still standing on the airport apron and does not appear to have any visible parts or structural modifications. The plane was not completely destroyed. This is in line with reports from the Belarusian opposition organization BYPOL, which reported on the attack by Belarusian partisans on the plane. It only reported “damage to the front and center of the aircraft”.
In the photos you can actually see the dark areas on the front left side fuselage and the radar antenna dish. However, at this resolution, it is unclear whether these blackouts are due to damage, or whether they are shadows or snow-covered areas. However, it should be emphasized that similar dark spots on the plane’s fuselage were not present in satellite photographs prior to the attack.
No damage or dark areas caused by explosions. For example, Engels was on site. However, the A-50 aircraft was towed to another location and large vehicles were observed around it, which may or may not indicate that repairs are being carried out.
All this means that the damage was small or that the Russians, taught by experience, began to cover it up. We will know more after the release of images from satellites with better sensors.