The Beriev A-50 (
NATO reporting name
NATO reporting names are code names for military equipment from Russia, China, and historically, the Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union and other nations of the Warsaw Pact). They provide unambiguous and easily understood English words in a uniform manne ...
: Mainstay) is a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
airborne early warning and control
Airborne or Airborn may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis
* ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film
* ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...
(AEW&C) aircraft based on the
Ilyushin Il-76
The Ilyushin Il-76 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-76; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a comm ...
transport. Developed to replace the
Tupolev Tu-126 "Moss", the A-50 first flew in 1978. Its existence was revealed to the
Western Bloc
The Western Bloc, also known as the Free Bloc, the Capitalist Bloc, the American Bloc, and the NATO Bloc, was a coalition of countries that were officially allied with the United States during the Cold War of 1947–1991. It was spearheaded by ...
in 1980 by
Adolf Tolkachev
Adolf Georgiyevich Tolkachev (russian: Адольф Георгиевич Толкачёв; 6 January 1927 in Aktyubinsk (now Aktobe), Kazakh ASSR, Soviet Union – 24 September 1986) was a Soviet electronics engineer who provided key documents to ...
.
['' The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal'', David E. Hoffman, location 2330, Kindle edition.] It entered service in 1984, with about 40 produced by 1992.
Description
The mission personnel of the 15-man crew derive data from the large Liana
surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
with its
antenna
Antenna ( antennas or antennae) may refer to:
Science and engineering
* Antenna (radio), also known as an aerial, a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic (e.g., TV or radio) waves
* Antennae Galaxies, the name of two collid ...
in an over-fuselage
rotodome
A radome (a portmanteau of radar and dome) is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar antenna. The radome is constructed of material transparent to radio waves. Radomes protect the antenna from weather and conceal antenna ...
, which has a diameter of Detection range is for air targets and 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 can fly four hours at from its base at a maximum takeoff weight of . The
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...
can be refuelled by
Il-78
The Ilyushin Il-78 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-78; NATO reporting name Midas) is a Soviet/Russian four-engined aerial refueling tanker based on the Il-76 strategic airlifter.
Design and development
The Soviet Union's first dedicated tan ...
tankers.
The radar "Vega-M" is designed by MNIIP, Moscow, and produced by
NPO Vega. The "Vega-M" can track up to 150 targets simultaneously within . Large targets, like surface ships, can be tracked at a distance of .
Development work on a modernized version, the A-50U, began in 2003; state tests started on 10 September 2008, using a Russian Air Force A-50 "37 Krasnyy" as a prototype. It replaces analog avionics with a new digital avionics suite, made by
Vega Radio Engineering Corporation
JSC Vega Radio Engineering Corporation (russian: АО «Концерн радиостроения «Вега», earlier CKB-17, NII-17, MNIIP) is a Russian company specializing in military radar and surveillance and C&C systems for ground-based, ...
, that speeds data processing and improves signal tracking and target detection. Crew rest, toilet and galley facilities are also included in the upgrade.
After completing the joint state tests,
Beriev
The PJSC Beriev Aircraft Company (russian: Таганрогский авиационный научно-технический комплекс им. Г. М. Бериева, , Beriev Taganrog Aviation Scientific Technical Complex), formerly Beriev ...
has delivered the first A-50U to the
Russian Air Force
" Air March"
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 12 August
, equipment =
, equipment_label =
, battles =
, decorations =
, bat ...
. The aircraft, "47 Krasnyy'"RF-92957, was handed over at Beriev's facility in
Taganrog
Taganrog ( rus, Таганрог, p=təɡɐnˈrok) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of the Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population:
History of Taganrog
The ...
on 31 October 2011.
It was accepted by an aircrew serving with the 2457th Aviation Base for Combat Operation of Airborne Early Warning Aircraft (Aviabaza Boevogo Primeneniya Samolyotov Dal'nego Radiolokatsionnogo Obnaruzheniya) at
Ivanovo Severny
Ivanovo Severny (also Ivanovo North or Zhukovka) is an air base in Russia located 6 km north of Ivanovo. It is a large transport operation airfield with hangars and significant tarmac space. The runway was built in 1935 and upgraded in 196 ...
, 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
The Russian Aerospace Forces or Russian Air and Space Forces ( rus, Воздушно-космические силы, r=Vozdushno-kosmicheskiye sily) or VKS ( rus, ВКС}) comprise the air and space branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Fe ...
on 7 March 2017. The fifth A-50U, "45 Krasnyy", was delivered on 6 December 2018. 7 aircraft have been delivered as of December 2021.
The A-50U upgrade forms the basis of the concept for
Beriev A-100
The Beriev A-100 is a Russian-built airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft based on the Il-76MD-90A transport aircraft. This aircraft is developed to replace the Beriev A-50 in Russian Air Force service. Avionics and configuratio ...
AEW&C. Its configuration will be similar, but with a new Vega ''Premier''
active electronically scanned array
An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled array antenna in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the an ...
radar.
In late December 2015, the A-50 started operations over Syria, flying from Russia, to support
. In December 2018, it was deployed to Crimea.
Variants
![Beriev A-50EI Mainstay2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Beriev_A-50EI_Mainstay2009.jpg)
* A-50M – Updated variant of the A-50 fitted with mid-air refueling capability.
* A-50U – Updated variant of the A-50M with modern electronics and increased crew comfort.
* Izdeliye-676
[ ordon, Yefim, OKB Ilyushin, 2004, London/ref> – One-off stop-gap telemetry and tracking aircraft.
* Izdeliye-776] – One-off stop-gap telemetry and tracking aircraft.
* Izdeliye-976 (SKIP) – (Airborne Check-Measure-and-Control Center) – Il-76-based Range Control and Missile tracking platform. Initially built to support Raduga Kh-55 cruise missile tests.
* Izdeliye-1076 – One-off special mission aircraft with unknown duties.
* A-50EI – An export version for the Indian Air Force with Aviadvigatel PS-90A-76 engines and Israeli EL/W-2090
The IAI EL/W-2090 is an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) radar system developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Elta Electronics Industries of Israel. Its primary objective is to provide intelligence to maintain air superiority ...
radar.
Operators
;
* Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
(2 on order)
** No. 50 Squadron IAF
;
* Russian Air Force
" Air March"
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 12 August
, equipment =
, equipment_label =
, battles =
, decorations =
, bat ...
** 2457th Aviation Base
** 144th Airborne Early Warning Aviation Regiment
Former operators
;
* Soviet Air Forces
The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
* Soviet Anti-Air Defence
The Soviet Air Defence Forces (russian: войска ПВО, ''voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony'', ''voyska PVO'', ''V-PVO'', lit. ''Anti-Air Defence Troops''; and formerly ''protivovozdushnaya oborona strany'', ''PVO strany'', lit. ''Anti-Air De ...
Specifications (A-50)
See also
Related development:
*Ilyushin Il-76
The Ilyushin Il-76 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-76; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a comm ...
*KJ-2000
The KJ-2000 (), NATO reporting name: Mainring is a People's Republic of China, Chinese Airborne early warning and control system comprising domestically designed electronics and radars installed on a modified Ilyushin Il-76 airframe.
Development ...
*Beriev A-100
The Beriev A-100 is a Russian-built airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft based on the Il-76MD-90A transport aircraft. This aircraft is developed to replace the Beriev A-50 in Russian Air Force service. Avionics and configuratio ...
Comparable aircraft:
* E-3 Sentry
*GlobalEye
GlobalEye is a multi-role airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) platform from Swedish defence and security company Saab. GlobalEye consists of a suite of sensors using Saab's Erieye ER (Extended Range) radar and mission system, installed in th ...
* G550-EL/W-2085
*EL/W-2090
The IAI EL/W-2090 is an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) radar system developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Elta Electronics Industries of Israel. Its primary objective is to provide intelligence to maintain air superiority ...
References
Further reading
*Yefim Gordon
Yefim Gordon (russian: Ефим Гордон, born 1950 in Vilnius, Soviet Union) is a Lithuanian aircraft photographer and author who specializes in Soviet aircraft and Russian aviation.
Biography
Gordon graduated in 1972 from the Polytechnic ...
, Dmitriy Kommisarov: Flight Craft 6: Il'yushin/Beriyev A-50. Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 2015,
*Yefim Gordon, Dmitriy Komissarov, Sergey Komissarov: OBB Ilyushin: A History of the Design Bureau and Its Aircraft
External links
vectorsite.net Beriev A-50
Aviation.ru A-50
Red-stars.org – A-50 Mainstay
Iranian AEW (in Persian)
{{Ilyushin aircraft
AWACS aircraft
A-50
1980s Soviet command and control aircraft
Quadjets
High-wing aircraft
T-tail aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1978