Threat of the Week
The Beriev A-50 (NATO reporting name: Mainstay) is a Soviet airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport.
The existence of the A-50 was revealed to the Western Bloc in 1980 by Adolf Tolkachev. Developed to replace the Tupolev Tu-126 'Moss', the A-50 first flew in 1978.
It entered service in 1984, with about 40 produced by 1992. The mission personnel of the 15-man crew derive data from the large Liana surveillance radar with its antenna in an over-fuselage rotodome,
which has a diameter of 9 meters (30 ft). Detection range is 650 kilometers (400 mi) for air targets and 300 kilometers (190 mi) for ground targets.
The A-50 can control up to ten fighter aircraft for either air-to-air intercept or air-to-ground attack missions. The A-50 is capable of flying four hours at 1,000 kilometers
(620 mi) from its base at a maximum takeoff weight of 190 metric tons (420,000 lb). The aircraft can be refueled by Il-78 tankers. The radar "Vega-M" is designed by MNIIP, Moscow,
and produced by NPO Vega. The 'Vega-M' is capable of tracking up to 150 targets simultaneously within 230 kilometers (140 mi). Large targets, like surface ships, can be tracked at a
distance of 400 kilometers (250 mi).
Development work on the A-50U began in 2003 and state tests started on 10 September 2008, using a Russian Air Force A-50 '37 Krasnyy' as a prototype.
The main element of the modernization involves replacing the outdated analogue equipment with a new, digital avionics suite supplied by Vega Radio Engineering Corporation. Notable improvements
include faster data processing, enhanced signal tracking, and improved target detection. Crew rest, toilet and galley facilities are also included in the upgrade. After completing the joint state tests,
Beriev has delivered the first A-50U to the Russian Air Force. The aircraft, '47 Krasnyy'/RF-92957, was handed over at Beriev's facility in Taganrog on 31 October 2011. It was accepted by an aircrew
serving with the 2457th Aviation Base for Combat Operation of Airborne Early Warning Aircraft at Ivanovo Severny, which is the only base using the A-50 operationally (it operates 16 aircraft).
The fourth A-50U, '41 Taganrog', was delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces on 7 March 2017. The fifth A-50U, '45 Krasnyy', was delivered on 6 December 2018. The A-50U upgrade forms the basis
of the concept for Beriev A-100 AEW&C. Its configuration will be similar, but with a new Vega Premier active electronically scanned array radar. In late December 2015, the A-50 started operations
over Syria, flying from Russia, in support of the Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War. In December 2018, it was deployed to Crimea.
