Russians are reviving the M-55 surveillance aircraft from the Soviet era to watch Ukraine

Acc???in? t? ? U.K. D???nc? Int?lli??nc? ??vi?w ??st ?n X, R?ssi? is ??m???? t? ?? ????in? ?? t? ??t??n its S?vi?t-??? M-55 “M?stic B” s?? ?l?n? int? s??vic? ?v?? Uk??in?.

Th? M-55 will ??t??n t? h?l? ??lst?? R?ssi?’s ?l???in? Int?lli??nc?, S??v?ill?nc?, T????t Ac??isiti?n, ?n? R?c?nn?iss?nc? (ISTAR) c????iliti?s in th? ?n??in? c?n?lict, ?cc???in? t? ? ?????t ?? E??????n P??v?? ?n S?n???.

I? t???, th? ??t??n ?? th? M-55 will si?ni?ic?ntl? inc???s? R?ssi?’s ??ilit? t? i??nti??, t??ck, ?n? s??v?il Uk??ini?n milit??? ?ss?ts ?n l?n?, s??, ?n? ?i?.

B?ck t? th? F?t???

“R?ssi? is lik?l? c?nsi???in? ??in?in? th? S?vi?t-??? M-55 MYSTIC B hi?h ?ltit??? ??c?nn?iss?nc? ?i?c???t ??ck int? s??vic?,” th? minist??’s ??st ????s. “With ?n ?????tin? c?ilin? ?? ?v?? 70,000 ???t, th? ?i?c???t h?s ???n ??c?ntl? ?m?l???? ?s ?n ???th-sci?nc?s ??s???ch ?l?t???m. H?w?v??, it h?s ???n ??s??v?? c????in? ? milit??? ??c?nn?iss?nc? ???, ??v?l???? ??? ?m?l??m?nt ?n R?ssi?n ?i?ht?? ?i?c???t,” th? U.K. D???nc? Int?lli??nc? ??st st?t?s.

“A c?itic?l ?l?w in R?ssi?n ???c???m?nt st??t??? h?s ???n its ??il??? t? ?st??lish ?n ??????t? Int?lli??nc?, S??v?ill?nc?, T????t Ac??isiti?n ?n? R?c?nn?iss?nc? (ISTAR) c????ilit?,” th? U.K.’s ????ns? minist?? ?????. “This is c?itic?l ??? th? tim?l? ?n? ?cc???t? ???s?c?ti?n ?? t????ts ?? ?i?, s??, ?n? ????n? ???c?s,” th? st?t?m?nt c?ncl????.

Th? M??sishch?v M-55 w?s ??v?l???? in th? 1980s ?n? ?l?w in A???st 1988. Tw? S?l?vi?v D-30 ?n?in?s ??w?? it with ? m?xim?m s???? ?? 466 m?h (750 k?h). Th? M-55 h?s ? win?s??n ?? ?v?? 122 ???t (37 m?t??s) ?n? is 73 ???t (22 m?t??s) l?n?.

With its ?istinct twin-???m ??s?l???, th? ?l?n? w?s ??v?l???? ????n? th? s?m? tim? ?s th? L?ckh??? ER-2, ? v??i?nt ?? th? U2 U.S. s?? ?l?n? with simil?? c????iliti?s. Int???stin?l?, NASA ??c?ntl? ?s?? ?n? ?? its ER-2 ?l?n?s t? c???t? min???l m??s ?? th? U.S. W?st??n D?s??t R??i?n. This missi?n w?s c???i?? ??t in th? int???sts ?? n?ti?n?l s?c??it? ?? ???vi?in? ? w?? t? ??t?nti?ll? ????c? ????i?n ??li?nc? ?n c?itic?l min???ls s?ch ?s lithi?m, c???lt, ?n? nick?l.

Th? c?m??n? ??hin? th? ?l?n?, M??sishch?v D?si?n B?????, w?s ? S?vi?t-??? m?n???ct???? ???n??? in th? 1950s ?n? ?n???w?nt v??i??s t??ns???m?ti?ns ?????? int????tin? int? Unit?? Ai?c???t C??????ti?n (UAC). Nickn?m?? th? “M?stic B” ?? NATO m?m???s, th? M-55 ?i?c???t h?s ?n im???ssiv? ?????tin? c?ilin? ?? m??? th?n 70,000 ???t (21,336 m?t??s) ?n? h?s ??c?ntl? ???n ?tiliz?? ??? E??th sci?nc?s ??s???ch.

Acc???in? t? Sim?l? Fl?in?, th? M-55 c?n c???? ?? t? 3,307 ???n?s (1,500 k?) ?? s?ns??s, si?ni?ic?ntl? ?nh?ncin? R?ssi?’s ??ilit? t? ??th?? int?lli??nc? ???m th? sk?. T? s?????t its cl?im, th? U.K. D???nc? Int?lli??nc? ?ls? n?t?? th?t it w?s ??s??v?? c????in? ? milit??? ??c?nn?iss?nc? ???, which c?n ?? ?tt?ch?? ?xt??n?ll? t? ?nh?nc? th? ??c?nn?iss?nc? c????iliti?s ?? milit??? ?i?c???t.

D?stin? ??? th? ?nti???s

B?t, ?v?n with th? ??inst?t?m?nt ?? th? M-55, it m?? n?t ?? ?n???h, ?s R?ssi? will h?v? t? c?n???nt ? n?w ch?ll?n?? in th? ???m ?? Uk??in?’s ??c?ntl? ?c??i??? m????n ?i?ht?? j?ts. Th? Uk??in? Ai? F??c? is c????ntl? int????cin? F-16 ?i?ht?? j?ts int? its ?l??t with th? ?ssist?nc? ?? int??n?ti?n?l s?????t.

Pil?ts will ?? t??in?? t? ?????t? th? j?ts ?t ? s??ci?liz?? t??inin? c?nt?? in R?m?ni?, in??????t?? l?st w??k. In ??s??ns?, R?ssi? h?s ??lst???? its ????n? ????ns?s ?n? ????i?? its B??i?v A-50 AWACS ?i?c???t in ???????ti?n ??? th?i? ???iv?l.