By David Axe
A Ukrainian strike on a Russian air base in occupied Crimea a few days ago reportedly destroyed dozens of warplanes belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
From the attack, however, it seems that an old aircraft escaped: the Beriev Be-12 seaplane from the 1970s. It is either one of the few remaining Be-12s of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, or a “remnant” of the Ukrainian Navy.
Three of the Russians’ twin-engine Berievs, which are at least 49 years old, may still be flying in the Black Sea on patrol and rescue missions. Moscow reportedly has three more Be-12s, which are part of other regional fleets.
Be-12 sightings are rare. So it was news when one of the distinctive “Soviet” seaplanes was seen in satellite images of the Saki Air Base on the western coast of Crimea, days after the August 9 attack on the airport.
The daylight strike – it is not clear whether it was a drone, ballistic missile or attempted by a group of Ukrainian Special Forces – caused explosions at the Saki military base, where the 43rd Regiment of the Russian Black Sea Fleet is stationed.
According to a Russian source, 8 Su-27 fighters, 4 Su-30 fighter-bombers, 5 Su-24 bombers, 6 Mi-8 helicopters and an Il-20 telemetry aircraft were completely destroyed by the fires that broke out at the base.
Video showing the airport runway after the attack shows a damaged Su-24. Satellite images confirm 8 Su-24 losses plus 5 Su-27/30 losses. For its part, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed to have destroyed 9 Russian aircraft.
It is possible that no report from said sources is complete. Combined, however, the Russian Navy counts between 9 and 27 dismantled aircraft. Possibly, the 43rd Regiment would no longer be combat-ready and the Black Sea Fleet would have to rebuild the unit.
Colored satellite image of Saki Air Base.
2022-08-10 T13:26:54 pic.twitter.com/dMAQlLL5xD
— Benjamin Pittet (@COUPSURE) August 10, 2022
But it seems that one Be-12, located on August 9 at the Saki base, escaped destruction. Satellite images after the Ukrainian raid show the seaplane in a shelter near the airport runway where most of the damage occurred.
Five days after the attack, someone photographed a Be-12 flying near the Saki base.
The 32-ton Beriev seaplane entered the Soviet fleet in the 1960s. With a top speed of 330 miles per hour, a seven-ton payload, and the ability to land on water, it performed patrol and rescue missions, with mediocre export performance.
The Ukrainian Navy inherited seven Be-12s with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. When Crimea was still under Ukrainian control, the Be-12s were based at Saki airfield. During the Russian invasion of Crimea in February 2014, a Ukrainian Be-12 managed to lift off the ground and escape to Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine.
The rest of Beriev passed into the possession of the Russians. Surprisingly, they returned to the Ukrainians many of the aircraft they captured in Crimea – among them the Be-12 with the code Yellow 02.
In April 2014, Russian troops on the peninsula allowed a Ukrainian crew to fly Yellow 02 bound for Mykolayiv. Two years later the seaplane in question took part in the NATO military exercise “Sea Breeze”, held in the Black Sea.
The two Ukrainian Be-12s were flying until 2019, but in recent photos – the last two were taken in late 2021 – the seaplanes appear in poor condition and may now be grounded.
It would make sense, as the Black Sea has become a very dangerous place – especially for Ukrainian aircraft, and even more so for… slow Ukrainian aircraft. Maintaining a few aging seaplanes is certainly not among the priorities of the Ukrainian Navy, which has no large armed warships and fights the Russians mostly with drones and anti-ship missiles.
Russian aircraft enjoy some protection over the Black Sea thanks to the long-range S-400s stationed in Crimea.
Whether the seaplane that was at the Saki military base on August 9 can carry out missions today, or even if it has been airworthy in recent years, is difficult to ascertain. However, available evidence suggests that some of the three Be-12s belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet are still operating off Crimea.
* The Russian mistake that “betrayed” Wagner’s mercenary headquarters in eastern Ukraine
Source: Capital
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