On October 7, 2022, at 17:24 Moscow time, an explosion occurred in the Shayevka Air Base in Kaluga State, Russia. Ukrainian journalist Orest Sokar said in a TV news that Ukrainian Air Force drones successfully infiltrated into the heart of Russia and carried out the air strike, and at least two Tu22M3 bombers were destroyed in the explosion. In the report, Orest Sokar emphasized that there are loopholes in the Russian military's air defense system, and no Ukrainian drones were found to penetrate deep into the country throughout the process. The Russian military is not sensitive to the application and prevention of new weapons.
Then Israel News reported the relevant news, and the Russian Daily News denied that military equipment was destroyed. In an interview, Russia's Kaluga Governor Vladislav Shapusha confirmed that an explosion did occur at the Shaivka Air Force Base. The airport garrison forces shot down an unknown drone after the explosion, but Shapusha stressed that the airport's military equipment was not damaged and that the drone attack only hit the runway. The investigation team is currently confirming the identity of the drone.
Although Russia denies the losses, it also admits that drones have entered the airport, and the explosion seems to have a lot to do with drones. However, it is still difficult to compare the news from Russia and Ukraine. We will continue to wait for third-party news, such as the satellite image of the United States, to confirm whether the 22 image has been destroyed.
Kaluga Airport is located in Russia, about 290 kilometers from the Ukrainian border and about 130 kilometers from Moscow. The 52nd Guards Heavy Bomber Regiment of the Russian Army is stationed at the local Shayvka Air Force Base. The regiment was first founded during the Soviet Patriotic War , and was awarded the honorary title of Red Flag Guard at the end of the war. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, was affiliated with the Russian armed forces. In 1998 and 2003, it successfully tested the newly developed air-to-surface missile by Russia, and was highly valued by the Russian Federation armed forces.
The regiment was responsible for air strikes during the Russian-Ukrainian war. According to Ukrainian reports, the 52nd Heavy Bomber Regiment of the Russian Guards launched an air strike on a shopping center near the Ukrainian military base in Kremömög on June 27, 2022, and the bomb almost completely destroyed the shopping center.
Ukraine claimed at the time that it would hold the regiment responsible, so the Ukrainian air strike at the regiment's garrison was understandable. Moreover, Ukraine has currently received assistance from nearly 1,000 medium and large drones. Although the Ukrainian Air Force cannot pose a threat to Russia due to war losses, large drones can fully bear the burden of infiltration air strikes.
But the most interesting thing is the Russian air defense system. Logically speaking, during the Russian-Ukrainian war, the air defense systems near the border areas should closely monitor the movements and statics in the border airspace to prevent Ukrainian aviation forces from sneak attacks. After all, Ukrainian artillery and missile forces have attacked Russian border towns by Ukrainian artillery and missile forces, and it is not surprising that they want to use drones to air strikes.
But the Russian air defense system did not find that Ukrainian drone infiltrated into Russian airspace, which reminds people of the previous incident of the Black Sea Fleet flagship Moscow being sunk by Ukrainian missile in April this year. The one who guided the missile to hit Moscow was the TB-2 drone that assisted Ukraine.
According to information disclosed by Russia, the air defense system on Moscow was not turned on due to lack of maintenance, which was the reason why the Moscow cruiser failed to find the drone hovering over the sky. In fact, if the air defense system is not turned on due to lack of maintenance, it basically means that the ship's air defense system is relatively old, and it is very likely that even if it is turned on, it will not be able to detect the drone. Just like the Russian ground air defense system Doyle has uneven performance in Ukraine. Doyle, which has not been modernized and upgraded, cannot detect Ukrainian drones at all. The Russian army can only rely on armor and some upgraded Doyle to deal with the threat of Ukrainian drones.
Based on these situations that occurred in the Russian army during the war, it is not surprising that Ukrainian drones can penetrate into the Kaluga region. The Russian military's border air defense system is likely to fail to detect Ukrainian drones because they are old or have no work, or because they are electronic interference from NATO .
In short, this air strike can be said to be a very successful infiltration and sneak attack. On the one hand, it demonstrated the infiltration and strike capabilities of the drone to deep targets near the enemy's capital, and on the other hand, it also exposed the loopholes in the Russian air defense system, which reminded the Russian army that this infiltration and air strike will also become the evaluation data for many countries to use drones in future wars.
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