Audio from an SU-34 and a ground controller (or more likely in an A-50 Mainstay), translated an captioned
su-34 evading patriots above ukraine
- Thread starter Jetronic
- Start date
Audio from an SU-34 and a ground controller (or more likely in an A-50 Mainstay), translated an captioned
It is an air defense system. There are several variants of the missile, some more capable than others but it is like that with all of your "area defense air defense" systems. Missiles don't typically do well in tail chase scenarios against targets under power.
No. It was intended to be an anti-aircraft system that just happened to be able to be employed against Scuds in 1991. Which led to expanded capability as the missile was improved.
I believe you have outlined the most likely scenario. If the detonation was from a Patriot, it was unlikely the proximity fuse, but the missile self destruct when propellant was burned out and the missile speed fell below a certain point. The pilot defeated the missile by not continuing inbound (additional maneuvering could help deplete missile energy), but he sure didn't defeat it by using countermeasures and outmaneuvering the missile.
The communication between the controller and the pilot is interesting. It sounds almost like a communication between a pilot and a WSO in the same USAF aircraft. Apparently their WSOs are simply weapons specialists and not real crewmembers like our's are, and the controller fulfills that role.
Too little information to know what really happened. My speculation is the 3 "launches" were determined by ELINT (Electronics Intelligence) from which the controller had access to real time. As such the launches may or may not have been real or spoofed to get the aircraft to abort the bomb run and turn around. If the explosion was a missile, it sounds like at least one launch was real. If.
More likely the controller spotted them on radar, he continued to give range, heading and speed updates. it's believed to be 4 launches against 2 aircraft.
What I wonder, and why I posted this, is the role of the ground controller. Personally I think he was a real help but I wonder if this was always how they were suppsed to work or is ground control less strict than it used to be
