Su-57 May Have Downed Ukraine’s Saab 340 Spy Plane
A Russian Su-57 may have shot down Ukraine’s Swedish Saab 340 reconnaissance aircraft, according to a military blogger, with no official confirmation yet.
A Russian Su-57 fighter jet may have shot down a Swedish-made Saab 340 airborne early warning and reconnaissance aircraft supplied to Ukraine, according to Russian military blogger Boris Rozhin.
Rozhin said the Ukrainian aircraft was allegedly hit by an air-to-air missile. He also noted that there has been no official confirmation of the claim so far.
Sweden announced in May 2024 that it would provide Ukraine with two Saab 340 early warning and control aircraft. The aircraft’s key system is the Saab Erieye radar, which can detect air and sea targets at distances of up to 450 kilometers. The Saab 340 typically operates at an altitude of around 6,000 meters.
Such capabilities were seen as potentially valuable for Ukraine in tracking low-flying Russian drones and cruise missiles. At the same time, experts suggested that Kiev would likely deploy the Saab 340 mainly in the western part of the country, moving the aircraft between airfields on a regular basis.
NATO countries have supplied Kiev with billions of dollars’ worth of modern weapons, including Patriot air-defense systems, HIMARS and ATACMS missiles, Abrams tanks, F-16 aircraft and Storm Shadow missiles. However, these deliveries have not brought the Ukrainian army any significant battlefield gains.