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Pro-Russian Separatist Rocket Launchers Just Caused The Deadliest Incident Of The Ukraine Crisis

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The following video reportedly shows the downing of a Ukrainian Air Force Il-76 military transport plane carrying 40 paratroopers and 9 crew members, near Luhansk airport, on June 13.

The aircraft was landing when pro-Russia separatists hit it with a Man-Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS) fired from the eastern side of the airport.

You can see the missile launch around 00:05 and the explosion caused by the crash of the Il-76 around 00:50. 

Since the beginning of the fighting in Ukraine, 10 aircraft (five Mi-24 Hind, two Mi-8 Hip helicopters, one An-2, one An-30 and the Il-76 at Luhansk) have been shot down by the local militia using portable surface-to-air missile systems.

A recent video showed an Il-76 releasing flares shortly after take off from Donetsk, a sign that Ukrainian cargo planes are equipped with defenses against heat seeking air-to-air or surface-to-air missiles. But considering their low speed and poor maneuverability, airlifters as well as helicopters — the latter of which normally operate at lower altitudes and are especially exposed to risk — are particularly vulnerable to MANPADS.

Still, in spite of the number of aircraft already shot down, Ukrainian cargo and surveillance planes are tasked with operating in MANPADS-infested areas.

So long as pro-Russian separatists in the area have anti-aircraft capabilities, these planes should be better equipped with more effective counter-measures or else used elsewhere. 

SEE ALSO: Russia explodes over a Ukrainian diplomat's profane comments about Vladimir Putin

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