American made military speedboats destroyed for the first time! Russia's rare deployment of fighter jets to prevent
According to a report on the website of the Russian newspaper "Shimbun" on August 23, Russian Air Force aircraft destroyed an American made military speedboat carrying a Ukrainian landing team east of Snake Island on August 22. Previously, the crew of the Su-30SM fighter jet destroyed a Ukrainian reconnaissance boat near a Russian natural gas extraction facility in the Black Sea. The destruction plan of the Ukrainian army in the Black Sea was thwarted as a result. Experts point out that killing small maritime targets requires the superb skills of pilots.
According to reports, sources revealed that from the evening of the 21st to the early morning of the 22nd, the Ukrainian Navy attempted to cause damage in the area where the Russian natural gas extraction facilities are located in the Black Sea. At least three landing boats and one speedboat carrying out reconnaissance missions participated in the attack. Russian naval personnel promptly detected the destroyer and sank the reconnaissance boat. The Ukrainian landing craft began to retreat towards Snake Island, but failed to evade the search of Russian reconnaissance facilities. One of them was sunk at the ferry, while the other was destroyed near Snake Island.
According to the website of the Moscow Communist Youth League Daily on August 22, the crew of the Su-30SM naval aviation unit of the Black Sea Fleet successfully carried out a unique operation in the area where Russia's natural gas extraction facilities are located. This fighter jet discovered and destroyed the Ukrainian reconnaissance boat at night, preventing a notable destructive activity in the Black Sea. Russian military pilot and retired Major General Vladimir Popov introduced how the operation was carried out and why fighter jets were chosen to destroy enemy speedboats.
It is reported that the use of Su-30SM fighter jets for such targets is probably the first time during the entire special military operation. The aviation industry unanimously believes that for the Su-30SM, destroying speedboats at night is an unusual task.
Popov stated that there is a high probability that enemy speedboats are ready to carry out destruction, and using fighter jets to prevent terrorist attacks can be said to be quite rare.
He said, "Undoubtedly, this type of tactical use of fighter jets in combat is not common. Many things depend on the combat environment, first and foremost on the amount of time our command post makes decisions and prevents attacks. This emergency use of frontline aviation is due to the situation, otherwise the destructive operation may cause serious damage or fire to offshore platform mining stations."
▲ Data image: Su-30SM fighter jet
Reporter's question: What does time refer to?
Popov's answer: Time is the main factor that must be considered when approaching intruders in the sea or airspace. If the Coast Guard ships or speedboats depart from Novorossiysk or Kerch, it may take several hours, or even 10 hours, to approach the enemy speedboats. It is estimated that it will take 30 to 40 minutes for a helicopter to reach the destination. This cannot solve the problem either. The Su-30SM fighter jet on duty is easier to take off. For fighter jets, 10 minutes is enough to reach the target.
Q: It is said that this fighter jet does not have photoelectric sights or night sights. How did it discover the speedboat?
Answer: In summer, at dawn, the sky is already bright. So, speedboats can also be seen with the naked eye. The speedboat may leave a trail - the propellers and waves stirred up by the ship's movement in the sea. If it is clear and cloudless, the reflection of water can also help people identify targets. Moreover, the speed of speedboats is relatively slow compared to airplanes. The pilot marked and tracked the speedboat after seeing it.
Q: How exactly was the speedboat destroyed?
Answer: There are two pilots on the Su-30SM aircraft. One pilot the plane and the other is an operator. The latter is responsible for target selection, searching, and selecting which weapon to use to destroy it. It is highly likely that an air-to-ground medium to long-range guided missile was launched towards the speedboat.
Q: The aviation industry claims that this operation is unique, is that so?
Answer: This is indeed a quite unique action. Its implementation indicates that we have multiple means to deal with maritime targets. I have already listed - Coast Guard ships, speedboats, helicopters, and now fighter jets. Everything depends on the combat environment and the time left for making and implementing decisions.
