Are afraid to lose the plane: Russian TU-22 because of hurry struck a false target-intelligence

The cause of the attack, according to the British Defense Ministry, could be an outdated X-22 missile system, as well as the hasty actions of Russian pilots who wanted to leave the area as soon as possible after launch. In September, the MV Aya trading ship was affected by a rocket in the Black Sea during its movement south from the Ukrainian port in Odessa.

According to the UK Ministry of Defense, the ship was attacked by a Russian TU-22M3 bomber, which in a hurry released the anti-ship X-22, and the impact occurred as a result of an error of aiming. The vessel that went to Egypt transported more than 26 thousand tons of grain. According to the available data, the Russian TU-22M3 bomber, which at this time performed a combat mission in the area, launched a rocket on a civilian vessel.

However, due to the happy case, the failure of the rocket detonation has avoided catastrophic damage to the vessel. Obviously, British intelligence notes, MV Aya was not the purpose of this mission. It is unlikely that the Russian military deliberately attacked a trading vessel, and the cause of the attack could be an outdated X-22 missile system, as well as the hasty actions of Russian pilots who wanted to leave the area after launching, fearing Ukrainian landscapes "Earth-Air".

This is confirmed by the fact that from April 2024, Russia has been cautious in the Black Sea after the loss of one of its TU-22 bombers. "Russia regularly attacks targets along the Black Sea coast of Ukraine, including Snake Island, trying to break export activities and degrade any military assets in the area," the message reads. As for weapons, X-22 has repeatedly showed low accuracy and efficiency during the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The launch of such a supersonic missile for false purposes in international waters not only indicates technical problems, but also serious omissions in Russia's aviation practice, summed up in the British department. We will remind, according to the statement of the head of the office of President Mikhail Podolyak, Russia will not be able to restore damaged bombers Tu-95, Tu-160 and TU-22 because of sanctions restrictions.