A Russian “doomsday plane” is circling over Crimea right now

Published on: March 31, 2014 at 6:36 PM

Just in case someone had doubts about air superiority over Crimea.

The Tupolev Tu-214SR is a Russian Special Mission Aircraft believed to act as a communication relay aircraft.

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This kind of aircraft is often dispatched by the Russian Air Force to accompany Putin’s presidential aircraft on its travels and for this reason it is considered the Russian version of the U.S. E-4B, a so-called “doomsday” plane, with an airborne command and control role.

This aircraft was spotted over Sochi during the Winter Games and it is currently operating at FL270 (27,000 feet) over Crimea, quietly broadcasting its position by means of ADS-B transponder.

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The Tu-214SR using callsing RSD48 has circled directly over Simferopol international airport and is currently heading towards Sochi airport, its departure airfield.

Image credit: FR24.com screenshot

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By David Cenciotti

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David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.