A Russian pilot lieutenant colonel died under strange circumstances

Article prepared for Onet.pl by the editorial team of the monthly magazine “Lotnictwo” and the website Portalmilitarny.pl

This came as a result of an attack by Ukrainian drones on the base of a unit armed with Su-30SM aircraft, which is Kursk Khalino Airport, located east of the city. The following course of events emanates from several sources. Three drones participated in the attack, most likely of the UJ-26 Bober type, according to Russian data, carrying a 20-kg warhead.

The first drone hit fuel and lubricant tanks used by the 14th Fighter Aviation Regiment. As a result of the attack, a major fire broke out in the fuel and lubricants warehouse. After that, a group of soldiers and the leadership of the 14th Regiment, represented by the regiment commander and his deputy, went to the burning warehouse to assess the damage and take measures to extinguish the fire. At this point, the second drone struck almost the same place as the first, causing the highest number of casualties among the personnel of the air regiment, including the command.

Telegram/new military technology

Among the victims of the Ukrainian drone attack on the Kursk-Khalino airport: Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Nikolayevich Gal, deputy commander of the 14th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.

Some time later, a third drone was discovered at the airport, which was forced to land using electronic warfare equipment and did not explode after falling. Instead of calling explosives experts to the site, local military personnel decided to examine the discovery themselves. When the drone approached, it exploded.

According to unconfirmed data, among the wounded and killed as a result of the attack were also the commander of the 14th regiment, a group of pilot officers, a representative of the military counterintelligence of the Russian Federal Security Service, and airport employees.

Armed Forces of Ukraine / New military technology

Multirole fighter aircraft Su-30SM (registration number RF-81771) of the 14th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment was shot down on 13 March 2022 south of Izjom

Less than a month ago, on the night of August 27, 16 Sypaq PDSS drones attacked the Kursk-Khalino airfield, which, according to Ukrainian intelligence data, hit four Su-30SM fighters, one MiG-29 and an air defense radar. At the beginning of the war, the 14th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment lost two Su-30SM aircraft over Ukraine, which were shot down on March 13-15 last year during heavy fighting for Izyum, killing one crew member and the pilot of the other. He was captured.