A-50U Mainstay
Transport Aircraftconfirmed
The A-50U Mainstay is a heavily modernized airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft based on the Il-76MD transport airframe. It features updated avionics, a new digital computing complex, and an improved Shmel-M radar system, significantly enhancing its ability to detect and track airborne and surface targets.
Specifications
| Type | Transport Aircraft |
| Origin | Russia |
| Manufacturer | Beriev |
| Introduced | 2011 |
| Status | In service |
| Speed | 830 km/h |
| Range | 7,500 km |
| Crew | 15 |
| Weight | 190 t |
History
Developed to replace the Tupolev Tu-126 "Moss", the A-50 first flew in 1978 and entered service in 1985.
Operators
Text adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo from Wikimedia Commons; see the Wikipedia article for author and license.