Russia may be bringing back into service a rare spy plane used in the former Soviet Union. This is what UK intelligence assesses, stating that the jet Myasishchev M-55 Geophysica may have new equipment to operate in the war with Ukraine.

In a report published last Sunday (19), the British Ministry of Defense says that the M-55 was observed with intelligence equipment indicating a possible new use for the spy plane. This would be to overcome a strategic failure in obtaining information on targets in the conflict.

Latest Defense Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 19 November 2023.

Find out more about Defense Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/wHi1SebuZi

🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/XYFXSU8hKd

- Ministry of Defense 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) November 19, 2023

“A critical flaw in the Russian procurement strategy has been its inability to establish an adequate Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability.”, says the folder's publication on X (formerly Twitter). “This is critical for timely and accurate target acquisition by air, sea and land forces.” 

In early November one of the few M-55s manufactured was seen at Ramenskoe airfield near Moscow carrying a pod. UKR-RT, developed for collecting data and signals in Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) missions.

[M-55] Le M-55 Geophysics. Bureau d'études Myasishchev-EMZ. immatriculé 55204, S/n 5520202
01/11/2023
The container reassemble in the UKR-RT universe reconnaissance container on the Su-34
Conteneur promiser Sych UKR-RL, UKR-RT, UKR-OE pour mémoire
Photo by Pavel Slabov. pic.twitter.com/ZvxXDevUNz

— La souris (@La_souris_DA) November 4, 2023

“With an operational ceiling of over 70.000 feet, the aircraft has recently been used as an earth science research platform. However, he was observed carrying a military reconnaissance capsule, developed for use in Russian fighter jets.”

As noted by The War Zone, the use of UKR-RT “on the front lines, or even close to them, presents a very high level of risk.” It is worth remembering that the Su-34 is one of the main victims of Ukraine's anti-aircraft defenses, with 21 aircraft shot down since the beginning of the conflict, according to data from the OSINT portal Oryx. 

Also called the “Russian U-2”, in reference to the North American jet, the M-55 was developed in the 1960s for high-altitude reconnaissance missions. However, unlike the US U-2, the M-55 did not enter military service. Only five aircraft were manufactured by Myasishchev and were used in atmospheric research activities, receiving the nickname Geophysics. In NATO it is called Mystic-B. 

With two engines Soloviev D-30 – the same ones used on the Il-76 freighter – and a wingspan of 37,4 meters, the M-55 can fly without problems at 70 feet (about 21 km). But with the need for a new solution to the conflict, it is possible that the M-55 will finally be used for what it was originally proposed.