Two ultra-rare Russian plane have been destroyed in an assault on plane producer Beriev’s plant close to the Black Sea metropolis of Taganrog.
Alongside injury to Beriev’s facility itself, which is a restore facility for Russia’s Beriev A-50 ‘Mainstay’ airborne early warning (AEW) plane fleet, satellite tv for pc imagery depicts the destruction of two Ilyushin Il-76 sort plane. Upon nearer inspection, cross-referencing with historic imagery from each the bottom and air, these plane have been particularly a Beriev A-60 and, reportedly, an A-100LL. Official Ukrainian sources state that the strike concerned cruise missiles and one-way assault drones.
The Beriev A-60 idea was roughly analogous to the U.S. Air Power’s Boeing NKC-135 Airborne Laser Lab and Boeing YAL-1, offering an airborne platform for the testing of directed vitality laser weapons to be used within the missile defence function. The primary A-60 flew in 1981, although was later destroyed. A second plane was transformed for the programme and entered service in 1991, although it might shortly be grounded within the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse. Little exercise was then seen till 2009, when photographs confirmed that the A-60 had apparently returned to flight.
Issues then went principally quiet once more, although the worldwide curiosity in new laser weaponry in addition to Russia’s want for game-changing applied sciences in its conflict towards Ukraine has sparked latest curiosity in a possible revival of the programme. Whether or not or not this revival was to be forthcoming now could be irrelevant, as Ukraine has taken a step forward and neutralized any Russian hopes of returning the jet to the skies with an enormous plume of fireside and smoke.
Along with the A-60 flying laboratory, a daily Ilysuhin Il-76 transport aircraft was additionally destroyed on account of Ukrainian strikes on the Taganrog Yuzhny Air Base final night time.
The ultimate meeting workshop operated by the Beriev Plane Firm suffered injury.… pic.twitter.com/s2zr9unVPB
— Standing-6 (Army & Battle Information) (@Archer83Able) November 25, 2025
In the meantime, the opposite plane proven to be destroyed within the Ukrainian assault is considered a one-of-a-kind testbed plane designated the A-100LL, the prototype for Russia’s new A-100 AEW jet. The A-100LL had the mounting factors on the higher fuselage for the AEW radome, however the radome itself was not fitted. Although the jet has been mothballed for a while – with testing of the A-100 now transferred to the primary, and presently solely, manufacturing airframe – its destruction nonetheless represents a heavy blow, making the potential use of the plane for any trials, and even conversion to operational functionality, utterly out of the query.
Beriev A-100LL s/n RF-93953, 52 purple, was a airborne laboratory for floor and flight testing of kit for A-100 programme. The final recognized flight occurred in 2018. pic.twitter.com/SnfXEpJI9J
— The Army Watch (@MarcinRogowsk14) November 25, 2025
Russia’s ageing A-50 AEW fleet is already small, nevertheless it has been diminished even additional by losses suffered throughout the conflict with Ukraine. Parked A-50s have been focused by FPV drones whereas no less than two have been shot down. With out the A-50s, Russia can rely solely on ground-based radars – with a lot shorter efficient ranges – for air defence and assault route. Even when A-50s can be found to supply AEW cowl, the profitable shootdowns imply that they seemingly now maintain a higher distance away from the frontlines than can be excellent to be able to safeguard the plane. Solely a handful of A-50s are nonetheless operational, and its A-100 alternative appears to be making little progress.
Harm to the Beriev plant, the place A-50s are serviced and the A-100 is, theoretically, produced, will virtually definitely place even additional restrictions on Russia’s AEW operations. We have no idea if there have been any plane inside the power on the time of the strike, although it appears seemingly that there have been, and it’s potential these have additionally suffered injury. Sending jets to be serviced on the facility, even after it’s repaired, will certainly be an choice to be averted as a lot as vital since it might then place these plane in a longtime line of fireside.
Although not a Beriev product, their facility at Taganrog moreover oversees upkeep of and upgrades for Russia’s Tu-95 ‘Bear’ strategic bombers and their Tu-142 maritime patrol counterparts. As one in all Russia’s major platforms for launching large-scale cruise missile assaults towards Ukrainian targets, any website associated to the Bear fleet is prone to be excessive up on Ukraine’s precedence record. The bomber fleet has already taken important blows from Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russian territory, which garnered worldwide consideration and virtually definitely have been a supply of main embarrassment for Russia.
5 websites inside Russia have been focused in Russia final night time by Ukraine, per drone forces commander Brovdi and Ukraine’s Basic Employees.
Amongst them: Taganrog’s A-50 plane hub, a Molniya drone manufacturing facility, Novorossiysk’s Sheskharis oil terminal, and the Tuapse refinery.📹… pic.twitter.com/T9kUxuwrGQ
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) November 25, 2025
On the identical night time, Ukrainian strikes additionally focused an Atlant Aero manufacturing facility that produces the low-cost Molniya one-way assault drone, oil business amenities in Novorossiysk and Tuapse, and no less than one S-400 floor to air missile (SAM) system.
