Russian air defense AI system linked to Azerbaijani plane crash

Defense Express reported the information.

Reports about the crash of an Embraer 190 passenger plane flying from Baku to Grozny on December 25 suggest discrepancies in Russia's official explanation. According to the outlet, initial photos and videos from the crash site revealed distinctive marks on the tail section consistent with damage from anti-aircraft missile fragments. These findings undermine the official claim that the crash resulted from a collision with a flock of birds,  “leaving no room for speculation.”

Defense Express noted that during the defense against Ukrainian long-range drones targeting Grozny, the Pantsir air defense system was deployed. However, for any air defense operator, distinguishing a radar mark between a drone, a light aircraft, and a passenger plane with a wingspan of nearly 30 meters - along with completely different speed and altitude parameters - is entirely clear.

But not for the Russian military. The Russian Pantsir air defense system boasts a uniquely "incomparable" Russian innovation - a fully automatic mode. Russia bragged about this feature back in 2020, claiming that the Pantsir-S had acquired "artificial intelligence capabilities" and could engage targets without human intervention.

“In Russia, they boasted that humans cannot intercept targets as quickly as what they call 'artificial intelligence,' which is, in reality, a rather simple algorithm - designed to shoot down anything within range without target selection,” the outlet noted.

A similar automatic mode is also featured in the Tor missile system. This system, which was likely operating in automatic mode, was responsible for shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, a Boeing 737, near Tehran on January 8, 2020.

According to Defense Express analysis, the events may have unfolded in the following way:

• On December 25, an Embraer 190 aircraft, flight No. 8243, was targeted by a Russian Pantsir missile system near Grozny. The system was in automatic mode, and the operator, following orders from the command, was aware of the presence of a civilian aircraft in the airspace.
• Despite knowing the aircraft was civilian, the Russian military gave the green light to shoot it down. At 09:35 a.m. local time, the Embraer 190 sent a distress signal. The missile strike damaged the aircraft's control system, making it only partially controllable.
• There is no official record of communication between the pilots and Russian air traffic controllers. However, the Azerbaijani plane was forced to fly over the Caspian Sea toward Kazakhstan, possibly as part of a Russian strategy to delay the plane's descent and let it crash.
• Despite the damage, the crew managed to keep the aircraft in the air for over 400 km and eventually made an attempt to land in Aktobe. The pilots tried to save the passengers but were unable to prevent the crash.

“After the Russian attack, the plane became uncontrollable, and the fact that 32 of the 67 passengers on board survived is something between a miracle and the skill of the pilots who died,” Defense Express concluded.