Kraków 2023-05-12
Attack of the Moscow Sukhoi Su-35 combat aircraft on the Polish L-410 patrol aircraft.
On May 5, 2023, a Polish patrol aircraft L-410 Turbolet was attacked by a Sukhoi Su-35 combat aircraft that belonged to the Moscow state. The attack took place over the Black Sea, in international waters. The Sukhoi Su-35 aircraft is another version of the Su-27 aircraft. The aircraft is a single-seat, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft designed to combat air targets.
The Polish aircraft took part in tasks carried out by the Frontex Agency. Frontex was established in 2004. Its task is to help the Member States of the European Union and the countries associated within the Schengen Group in protecting the external borders of the area of free movement of people. The Frontex Agency is financed from the budget of the European Union and contributions from the countries associated within the Schengen Group. In 2016, Frontex was transformed into the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, whose tasks included not only the control of population migration, but also border management and has increased responsibility for combating cross-border crime, such as trafficking in human beings. Frontex is currently (2023) recognized as one of the pillars of the EU area of freedom, security and justice. The Agency’s powers also covered search and rescue operations (SAR) in situations related to the protection of maritime borders. Frontex is an operational agency with around 2,000 officers. The agency operates 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
The Polish patrol aircraft L-410 UVP E20 belongs to the Polish Border Guard. On May 5, 2023 (Friday, around 1:20 pm), the crew of the aircraft performed the assigned tasks over the Black Sea, approximately 60 km from the airspace of Romania (a member of NATO and the EU). The tasks were performed in cooperation with Romanian aircraft.
The Polish plane was attacked unexpectedly by a Sukhoi Su-35 plane, whose pilot repeatedly performed dangerous maneuvers in front of the Polish plane. There were at least three overflights without maintaining the necessary separation between the aircraft, right in front of the nose of the L-410. At one point, the distance between the planes was only 5 m. The Su-35 aircraft caused such turbulence that the crew of the L-410 aircraft lost control of the machine. The machine began to fall, losing altitude rapidly. Thanks to the excellent training of the crew and sufficient flight altitude, the pilots managed to avoid a spin and regain control of the plane. As indicated by the Romanian communiqué, the Polish crew behaved professionally in the event of a deliberate attack.
The NATO command, which received information from the Polish crew, immediately sent 4 combat aircraft against the intruder. These were two Romanian planes and two Spanish planes. But the aggressor has already retreated. It should be added that the Su-35 aircraft had its transponder and radio turned off. The crew did not inform any air services about the purpose of their stay in this area.
About 30 minutes after the incident (1:50 pm), the L-410 plane of the Border Guard safely landed at the Mihaił Kogălniceanu International Airport in Constanta. None of the crew members of the Polish aircraft were injured in the incident.
The Polish L-410 UVP E20 aircraft was sent on a mission from April 19, 2023 to May 17, 2023, as part of the "Multipurpose Maritime Operation (MMO) Western Black Sea 2023". Apart from Poland, missions in Romania were also performed by Spain and Sweden.
Currently (2023), the Polish Border Guard has two L-410 UVP E20 aircraft, which were delivered to Poland in November 2020. On a daily basis, the planes belong to the 1st Aviation Department of the Border Guard Aviation Office in Gdańsk. The crew of the L-410 aircraft consisted of two pilots (the co-pilot was a woman) and three operator officers.
There is no doubt that the goal of the crew of the Moscow state plane was to cause the L-410 plane to crash without the use of combat armament (small armament or missiles). In the history of Moscow state aviation, there were already examples of this type of behavior and even air rams. Recall that on March 14, 2023, a combat aircraft of the Moscow State Su-27 collided with an American MQ-9A Reaper, which resulted in the loss of a BAL (unmanned aerial vehicle), which fell into the sea. All these actions of the Moscow state are a provocation to provoke an armed conflict. There is also no doubt that the lost war with Ukraine is driving the illiterates in Moscow to frustration, and the support from Berlin and Paris is weakening.
There is also information that on September 29, 2022, near the coast of Crimea occupied by the Moscow state, a British Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft was supposed to be shot down. There was no shooting down. The attack was to be carried out by two Sukhoi Su-27 combat aircraft. The crews of the Moscow planes performed aggressive maneuvers only 5 m from the reconnaissance aircraft. A missile was also fired next to a British plane. British aircraft was in international airspace over the Black Sea.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman