Rare Russian A-60 laser aircraft likely destroyed in Taganrog attack - video
The moment of a supposed strike on Russian jet at Taganrog-South airbase overnight on Nov. 25, 2025 (Photo: NV)
Overnight explosions and fires at Russia’s Taganrog-South airbase, next to a major aircraft plant, suggest Ukrainian forces may have destroyed an ultra-rare A-60 “flying laser lab” based on the Il-76, Ukrainian sources reported on Nov. 25.
Because of its proximity to the production facilities, several rare pieces of Russian military aircraft are parked on the aprons of the Taganrog-South airfield.
In footage filmed by eyewitnesses in Taganrog overnight on Nov. 25, an explosion can be seen near an aircraft that likely sustained critical damage or may have been destroyed in the blast.
The silhouette of the aircraft in the video resembles the unique A-60, which is distinguished by its characteristic “hump” visible in the footage. NV analyzed satellite imagery dated Nov. 18 — the most recent available date that allows for comparison. At that time, four aircraft were parked at the stand where the explosion occurred, including one that appears to be an A-60.
NV’s sources in the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces confirmed that there was indeed a large-scale strike on Taganrog that night, carried out as a joint operation by several Defense Forces units. The source says the destruction of the A-60 is highly likely, but still needs to be confirmed by future satellite imagery.
The A-60 is a flying laboratory based on the Soviet Il-76MD transport aircraft, designed to test laser weapons. The project was developed in the 1970s as part of the USSR’s effort to create anti-satellite laser systems. The A-60’s laser, with a power of 1 megawatt, is housed in the aircraft’s distinctive “hump.” In theory, this laser could “blind” the optical systems of enemy satellites or even damage their sensors and other equipment.
The first prototype took to the skies in 1981. In total, only two A-60 aircraft were built. The second one made its first flight in 1991. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the project was frozen, but after 2014 there were several reports of supposed modernization of the equipment, a relaunch of the A-60 program, and even test flights of this type of aircraft against decoy targets.
In June 2024, amid increased flights by NATO strategic reconnaissance drones over the Black Sea, Russian propagandists claimed that the A-60 could disrupt or even disable Western reconnaissance platforms. There has been no confirmation of this use. At the same time, Russian official sources have not commented on the A-60 project or its deployment for a long time.
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