Ukrainian Cyberattack Causes Russians To Shoot Down Own Jet Fighter

The crash of a Russian Su-57 jet fighter taking off from a military airfield near Moscow may have been caused by a Ukrainian cyberattack. 

The Ukrainians reportedly hacked into the Moscow area air defense system, caused the Russian plane to be designated an enemy target and then, either let the system engage the threat, or then actually ordered the Moscow system to shoot it down. Either way, this is another clever manipulation by the Ukrainians and an added worry for Russia. JL

Defense Express reports:

The crash of a Su-57 fighter jet near Moscow was linked to the actions of air defense units from Russia's Combat Army Reserve Moscow detachment, which is composed of reservists. This could be the first known instance of a combat aircraft being destroyed as a result of a cyberattack. The aircraft crashed immediately after taking off from Kubinka airfield, meaning that it was flying at a low altitude. This possibility involves gaining unauthorized access to and manipulating the airspace situational awareness system. The Su-57 may have been designated as an enemy target, leading to it being engaged by the 1st Moscow Special Purpose Air and Missile Defense Army, medium and long-range air defense missile systems. 

If reports of a cyber operation carried out by Ukrainian specialists are confirmed, this could be the first known instance of a combat aircraft being destroyed as a result of a cyberattack

The crash of a Su-57 fighter jet near Moscow—most likely a two-seat Su-57D—was immediately linked by some unofficial russian sources to the actions of air defense units from the BARS (Combat Army Reserve) Moscow detachment, which is composed of reservists.

Later, the Ukrainian InformNapalm community reported that russian forces had shot down one of their own aircraft and that the incident was the result of an operation conducted by Ukrainian cyber units. These units effectively turned russian air defense into a weapon against its own air force. 

Overall, the operation was the result of an analysis of data collected on personnel training, hardware and software, combat algorithms, and vulnerabilities within the system. The community also shared a video showing BARS Moscow using Lis-2 anti-aircraft drones, as well as the software used by the unit. 

It has not been reported how the friendly fire incident was organized. At the same time, it is somewhat questionable whether the BARS Moscow air defense units could have shot down a Su-57 on their own. Specifically, the unit is equipped with anti-aircraft drones, machine guns, and man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS). All of these systems require visual contact with the target.

In other words, if we rule out the scenario in which a russian air defense operator from BARS deliberately targeted and destroyed a Su-57, two more likely options remain. The first is the Citadel air defense system, equipped with a 30-mm automatic cannon, which is claimed to be capable of autonomously detecting and destroying targets. 

russian Citadel air defense system

If such systems are in service with BARS Moscow, then, hypothetically, unauthorized access to their control systems could make it possible to destroy a target such as a Su-57. This is especially true given that the aircraft crashed immediately after taking off from Kubinka airfield, meaning that it was flying at a low altitude.

The second possibility involves gaining unauthorized access to and manipulating information in the airspace situational awareness system, which is also visible in the video. The Su-57 may have been designated as an enemy target, potentially leading to it being engaged by assets of the 1st Moscow Special Purpose Air and Missile Defense Army—that is, full-fledged medium- and long-range air defense missile systems. At the same time, no video has yet been found that would confirm the launch of anti-aircraft missiles in the Moscow area.

It should be noted that reports of the crash near Moscow, in the Zvenigorod area, began to surface around 1:20 p.m. Kyiv time. However, warnings about the threat of drones in the Moscow region had already been issued between 11:20 a.m. and 11:40 a.m.

At this time, there is no confirmation that the Su-57 crash was the result of a cyberattack.