Ukraine has carried out an unprecedented attack on Russia. Ukraine spent 18 months planting over a hundred First-Person View, Quadcopter drones all over Russian territory. The drones were stationed in trucks, which were then placed near Russian airbases. On Sunday, June 1, Ukraine unleashed the drones, in an operation called “Spider Web”. And the drones seem to have hit their mark.
Footage was released allegedly showing Ukraine’s drone attack on Russia’s Belaya airbase in Siberia. The drones targeted Russian aircraft stationed there. Prominent in the footage are Tupolev Tu-95 long-range strategic bombers.
The Tu-95 is easily distinguishable because of its swept-back wings, and four propellers. The Tu-95 has a maximum range of about 15,000 kilometres. It can carry a payload of up to 15 metric tonnes. The Tu-95 is used to fire air-launched cruise missiles at important strategic targets, such as military infrastructure. And the bomber was designed to carry nuclear weapons. While there's no official estimate of its cost, a single Tu-95 will likely be worth over $100 million.
The Tu-95s aren’t the only strategic bombers that Ukraine claims to have destroyed. Kyiv says its drones also hit Tupolev Tu-22Ms. Tu-22Ms are much faster than the propeller-powered Tu-95s. The Tu-22M can reach a top speed of about Mach 1.88. That’s almost twice the speed of sound. Tu-22Ms have a maximum range of around 7,000 kilometres. They have a payload capacity of up to 24 metric tonnes. They are equipped to fire nuclear-capable, air launched cruise missiles, and also air-launched ballistic missiles like the Kinzhal. Tu-22Ms are also estimated to cost upwards of $100 million, with some estimates going above $300 million.
But the biggest blow to Russia might be the loss of the Tupolev Tu-160. The Tu-160 “White Swan”, is another supersonic long-range strategic bomber. With a top speed of more than Mach 2, and a maximum range of over 12,000 kilometres, the Tu-160 is the crown jewel of Russia's strategic bomber fleet. It also has a payload capacity of about 45 metric tonnes, making the bomber both fast and lethal. Finally, the Tu-160 can also carry both nuclear-capable cruise and ballistic missiles. It is Russia’s ace in the hole. And Ukraine says that it destroyed 2 of them.
In fact, during Sunday’s operation, Kyiv claims it destroyed 41 Russian bombers in total. The Security Service of Ukraine estimated that the damage will set Moscow back by about $7 billion. And to add insult to injury, Kyiv says it did all of this with relatively basic drones, whose costs run in the hundreds. If the reports aren’t exaggerated, then Ukraine’s sabotage operation will have wide ranging effects on the economics of warfare as we know them.
