Summary
- Russia may deploy its Soviet-era M-55 Mystic spy plane over Ukraine, as it believes the aircraft will enhance its Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities.
- The M-55 has a maximum altitude of up to 70,000ft, allowing it to conduct effective reconnaissance from Russian airspace and address Russia’s shortcomings in ISTAR capabilities.
- With Ukraine acquiring modern fighter jets, Russia is bolstering its ground defenses and also preparing its Beriev A-50 AWACS aircraft in response to the emerging threat.
Russia could return the high-altitude Soviet-era M-55 Mystic spy plane to operations over Ukraine.
Russia may deploy
According to a UK Ministry of Defence update on the situation in Ukraine, it believes there is “a realistic possibility” the aircraft will return to frontline service and engage in Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions.
The update claims Russia has experienced major shortcomings in its ISTAR capabilities, forcing it to consider the Soviet-era spy plane. With a maximum altitude of over 70,000ft, the M-55 can conduct reconnaissance at a safe distance – analysts believe it will be able to provide effective reconnaissance from the safety of Russian airspace.
Photo: ID1974 | Shutterstock
The country has multiple M-55s in its inventory, many of which have been deployed on scientific missions, such as atmospheric research flights over Antarctica. British military intelligence claims that one of the planes “has been observed carrying a military reconnaissance pod, developed for employment on Russian fighter aircraft.”
Evolving capabilities
Russia is responding to a perceived lack of effectiveness in its current reconnaissance capabilities, vital to pinpointing targets in land, air and sea warfare.
It will also have to face the emerging threat of Ukraine’s incoming modern fighter jets – the Ukraine Air Force is in the process of inducting F-16 fighter jets into its fleet with the help of international support. Pilots will learn to fly the jets at a special training center in Romania which opened last week.
Russia has been preparing for their arrival by bolstering its ground defenses and readying its Beriev A-50 AWACS (airborne early warning and control) aircraft.
About the Myasishchev M-55
The Myasishchev M-55 was developed in the 1980s and operated its first flight in August, 1988. The plane is powered by two Soloviev D-30 engines and was called Mystic-B by NATO at the time. With a max speed of 750km/h, the M-55 had a wingspan of over 122ft and measured 73ft long.
Photo: ID1974 | Shutterstock
The plane stood out visually for its twin-boom fuselage and was developed around the same time as the Lockheed ER-2, a US spy plane built with similar capabilities. Interestingly, NASA recently deployed one of its ER-2 planes to conduct mineral maps in the US Western Desert Region – this mission is also being done in the interests of national security, although in this case, it is to reduce its foreign reliance on critical minerals like lithium, cobalt and nickel.
Myasishchev Design Bureau was a Soviet-era manufacturer which underwent several transformations before its eventual integration into the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).
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