According to US media reports, Russian air defense forces recently shot down a Ukrainian army Tu-143 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft in the western region of the country. This weapon and equipment, which was mass-produced and used during the Cold War, almost disappeared after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but now it appears on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield, which suddenly triggered speculation in the foreign media. According to the American media, the Ukrainian army may use the Tu-143 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft for three purposes.
First, it confuses the Russian army’s air defense system and helps the Ukrainian army obtain the specific location of the Russian army’s air defense system. After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict, the Ukrainian army's detection system was completely destroyed by the Russian army. Currently, the Ukrainian army has lost the ability to obtain intelligence. Real-time information on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield and the deployment dynamics of the Russian army are provided to Ukraine by NATO Military sharing. Of course, the Ukrainian army cannot completely rely on NATO, and it must also think of some solutions. The Ukrainian army dispatched Tu-143 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft to conduct deep reconnaissance in Russian airspace, and the Russian air defense forces will inevitably take action.
When the Russian army launches anti-aircraft missiles to shoot it down, its position will be exposed invisibly. Military experts said that the Ukrainian army's acquisition of the location information of Russian air defense missiles will be of great help to subsequent military operations. On the one hand, the Ukrainian army can use weapons and equipment assisted by Western countries to attack the Russian air defense missiles. On the other hand, when Ukrainian fighter jets carry out air strikes against targets in Russia, they can bypass areas covered by Russian anti-aircraft missiles, greatly improving the success rate of air strikes and reducing the risk of Ukrainian fighter jets being shot down by Russian anti-aircraft missiles.
The second is to consume the Russian army’s inventory of anti-aircraft missiles. At present, the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine has entered a stalemate stage. It is impossible for both sides to completely defeat the other side in a short period of time, so whoever can last longer has a greater chance of winning. At this stage, both Russian and Ukrainian armies will strive to consume each other's scarce strategic resources to the greatest extent possible. By replacing the old Tu-143 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft with the Russian army's expensive anti-aircraft missiles, the Ukrainian army fought the war very shrewdly.
The third is to test the attack performance of the Tu-143 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft. This aircraft was originally a reconnaissance aircraft , mainly used for low-altitude reconnaissance. However, it is now very likely that the Ukrainian army will transform it into an integrated surveillance and combat drone. US media reported that although it is not yet confirmed whether the Ukrainian army has transformed it into an attack aircraft, in March this year, a A Tu-143 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft with some kind of warhead crashed in , Croatia, , proving the feasibility of this transformation plan.
However, in the opinion of military experts, no matter what tricks the Ukrainian army can play, an old Tu-143 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft is unlikely to cause too much trouble on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield and will not have a big impact on the war situation. Influence. The Russian army may have already grasped the intentions of the Ukrainian army.
