THIS is the moment Ukrainian forces managed to take out a Soviet-era Russian amphibious aircraft for the first time.
Ukraine’s military intelligence service HUR claims it struck two Russian Be-12 Chayka anti-submarine planes in occupied Crimea on September 21.
HURThese formidable planes are designed to detect and engage enemy submarines[/caption]
AlamyA Be-12 Mail ASW & Maritime Patrol Amphibian is seen in the Ukrainian aviation museum in Kiev-Zhulyany[/caption]
AlamyA Ukrainian Navy Beriev Be-12 Chayka amphibious aircraft flies above the USN Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross[/caption]
It marks the first confirmed destruction of one of these prized amphibious planes by Kyiv’s forces.
The operation was carried out by the agency’s “Phantoms” special unit.
A HUR statement reads: “This is the first-ever strike on a Be-12 in history.”
These formidable planes are designed to detect and engage enemy submarines and are equipped with high-value systems.
A video released by the intelligence agency purports to show the moment the Be-12 Chayka was hit.
In a first-person clip, a drone sneakily closes in on the military vehicle before striking.
A target sight can be seen in the middle of the screen as the drone hones in on the planes.
As well as the two anti-submarine planes, a Russian Mi-8 was also taken out in the daring attacks.
“Armed struggle continues,” the HUR statement adds. “Glory to Ukraine.”
Ukrainian intelligence further claimed they took out three Russian Mi-8 helicopters and a radar station in Crimea the day before.
The Kremlin has not yet commented on these devastating strikes against its air fleet.
BBC Verify has geolocated the footage to an airfield close to Sevastopol, Crimea.
Ukraine has intensified its attacks against Russian positions in Crimea in recent months.
The Crimean peninsula, which is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
www.kyivindependent.comA Russian Mi-8 was also reportedly taken out in the daring attacks[/caption]
What are the Be-12 Chaykas?
The Be-12 Chayka is a Soviet-era anti-submarine planes that remains in use by the Russian military.
They were introduced in the 1960s are are designed to detect and engage threats beneath the water’s surface.
Be-12 Chaykas are amphibious aircraft, meaning they can touch down on water as well as dry land.
Russia has been reported to use these plans to stalk the Crimean coast since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Ukraine’s armed forces are also known to have used these planes.
It comes as Russian despot Vladimir Putin fired a top general following humiliating blows from Kyiv.
General Alexander Lapin, 61, was reportedly sacked for failing to tear through the Sumy region of Ukraine.
The general has been blasted as “incompetent” by military experts.
Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov said of him: “If I had my way, I would have demoted Lapin to private, deprived him of his awards, and sent him to the front line to wash off his shame with the rifle in his hands.“
Ekranoplan – the Soviet ‘sea monster’
This 302ft megaplane was once a major player in the Soviet military’s arsenal.
The ekranoplan, which is bigger than a Boeing 747, was stocked with a deadly range of missiles to take on the enemy.
Its intimidating size and lethal payload made it a force to be reckoned with.
But massive ship-plane now sits in a sorry state, as it is beached as a “museum” in Derbent.
It could carry six anti-ship missiles in launch tubes which could travel up to 60 miles at three times the speed of light.
The ekranoplan was decommissioned when the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s.
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