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.
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