Rostec Delivers Modernized A-50U Long-Range 'Flying Radar' to Russian Troops

Russia’s state-owned Rostec handed over modernized A-50U long-range Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft to the military.

The A-50U can detect fundamentally new types of aircraft, and is also capable of simultaneously tracking a greater number of targets and guided fighters than the previous modification.

The aircraft was modernized as part of the implementation of a large-scale program for the renewal of the AWACS aircraft fleet, provided for by the state defense order. The modernized A-50U received new electronics with higher performance and speed, which made it possible to increase the capabilities of the functional software. The system for displaying the situation at the operator's workplaces has been improved - new LCD monitors of large dimensions and resolution have been installed. The improved ergonomics of the aircraft are designed to increase the efficiency of the tactical crew.

The aircraft also has a new flight and navigation system. Due to the use of modern equipment with a lower weight, the flight range and the time for performing combat missions at a given line have increased.

“Airborne early warning aircraft are flying radars with the functionality of a command post. The speed of detecting and countering air targets of a potential enemy depends on their technical equipment, the performance of the installed electronic systems and flight characteristics, which is confirmed by the combat experience gained. We continue to work on the modernization of the military A-50 to the level of the A-50U. This is the seventh such complex delivered to the troops. We plan to commission the next board in 2023,” said Vyacheslav Mikheev, General Director of the Vega concern, part of Rostec. 

The previous type of AWACS, the A-50 aircraft, was put into service in 1989. Currently, only two countries are engaged in the development of such systems - Russia and the United States.