AEW, C2 & ISR
A-50U
Mainstay
High
RU
Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C)
Russian radar aircraft based on the Il-76, with a 9 m rotating radar dome above the fuselage. Tracks up to 60 air, sea and ground targets and controls up to ten fighters. At the start of the invasion Russia had 3 A-50s and 6 A-50Us. One was lost over the Sea of Azov on 14 January 2024 and a second in February 2024; in February 2023 one was damaged by a drone in Belarus.
Learn more in the AirDefense Academy →Dimensionsfor imagery analysis
- Length × wingspan × height
- 46.6 × 50.6 × 14.8 m
- Rotodome
- Ø 9 m
- Max. take-off weight
- 170,000–190,000 kg (Il-76M/MD base)
- Recognition
- Il-76 silhouette with a flat radar disc on two struts above the fuselage
- Dimension source
- Wikipedia; US Army TRADOC Worldwide Equipment Guide (ODIN)
General
- Role
- Airspace surveillance, fighter control, targeting (incl. for S-400 and Kinzhal)
- Manufacturer
- Beriev
- Crew
- 5 flight crew + 10 operators
- Numbers
- ≈ 42 built by 1992; early 2022: 3 A-50 + 6 A-50U
Performance
- Radar
- Shmel-M (A-50U: upgraded)
- Detection
- Low fighter ≈ 110–215 NM; high ≈ 160–325 NM; sea targets ≈ 215 NM
- Ceiling / speed
- ≈ 15,500 m / 850 km/h
Threat
- Significance
- Sees low flyers and deep across the front; scarce and costly (≈ $330 m)
- Combat record
- Ukraine: two lost in Jan and Feb 2024; one damaged in Belarus (Feb 2023)
- Countermeasure
- Low flying behind terrain, ECM; long-range SAM against the aircraft itself
- Threat level
- High — key to the Russian air picture
News archive 0
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
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