Ukrainian forces struck and likely destroyed a rare Russian A-60 laser-armed aircraft during an attack in Taganrog on Tuesday, Militarnyi reported.
According to the report, the strike hit the Beriev aviation complex and Taganrog-Yuzhny airfield, where the aircraft was undergoing maintenance.
By unconfirmed reports, a Russian A-60 aircraft could have been hit last night.
An A-60 aircraft is a laser complex, created on the basis of the Il-76MD military transport aircraft and designed for experiments with aviation laser systems. There are only two of this kind. pic.twitter.com/BQM2XP6MMp
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) November 25, 2025
The A-60, a modified Il-76MD platform, served as Russia’s airborne testbed for directed-energy systems. The aircraft was equipped with an aviation version of a megawatt-class laser, originally intended for deployment in space under the 17F19D Scyth-D program.
Reports indicate that the strike also damaged a hangar at the Beriev plant, where Tu-95MS bombers are serviced and upgraded to the Tu-95MSM variant.
The plant builds, repairs, and upgrades amphibious aircraft and special aviation systems, including the A-50 early warning and control plane.
The facility operates under the United Aircraft Corporation, part of the state-owned conglomerate Rostec.
