On September 22, 2023, PJSC United Aircraft Corporation announced that, together with the holding company Roselectronics (both companies are part of the Rostec State Corporation), it had supplied the Russian Armed Forces with another modernized A-50U long-range radar surveillance and guidance aircraft complex.
An illustrative photo of a modernized A-50U long-range radar survey and guidance aircraft (tail number "45 red", registration number RF-93952, factory number 0093493818, serial number 63-05) distributed by Rostec Group, transferred to the Russian Aerospace Forces in December 2018 (from) Rostec Group
"The A-50U long-range radar surveillance and guidance aviation complex is a necessary vehicle in the conditions of modern combat operations. As a result of the modernization, the aircraft received new technical equipment, which increases the speed and range of detection of air, land and sea targets, and the effectiveness of countering the enemy. The aircraft has been upgraded as part of the program for updating the fleet of AWACS aircraft provided for by the state defense order," Rostec said.
As part of Roselectronics, the Vega Concern carried out work on the modernization of the aircraft, and as part of the United Aircraft Corporation, the Beriev TANTK (PJSC Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex named after G. M. Beriev).
"The use of upgraded A-50U flying radars in the zone of a special military operation makes it possible to quickly detect enemy air objects and effectively counteract them with aviation and air defense forces. Taking into account the high demand for these vehicles in the troops, we have transferred another board and in the near future we plan to complete the modernization of another A-50 complex," said Vyacheslav Mikheev, General Designer of the Vega Concern.
From the bmpd side, we point out that, thus, the Russian Aerospace Forces received, presumably, the eighth long-range radar surveillance and guidance aircraft upgraded to the A-50U level. Although the pictures of this upgraded side have not been published, however, as far as can be judged, it was the A-50 aircraft with the tail number "51 red" (registration number RF-50606, factory number 1003496899, serial number 73-05), which arrived for work at the TANTK in 2021.
Previously, Vega Radio Engineering Concern JSC (the lead contractor for the A-50U modernization program) and Beriev TANTK (as a contractor) We have fulfilled contracts for the supply of seven upgraded A-50U aircraft to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The A-50 aircraft with the tail number "37 red" (factory number 0073476298, serial number 58-05) was the first to be converted into a modification of the A-50U at the TANTK back in the mid-2000s as a prototype of modernization under this program. The act on the completion of State tests of this prototype A-50U was signed on November 26, 2009, after which the aircraft was used in Taganrog for further testing and development, and only on March 25, 2014 was formally transferred to the Russian Air Force, receiving its own name "Sergey Atayants" in honor of the aircraft designer who directly supervised the creation of the A-50.
The first serially upgraded A-50U aircraft was a car with the tail number "47 red" (registration number RF-92957, factory number 0043453577, serial number 40-05), after the modernization was completed, it was transferred to the Russian Air Force on October 31, 2011. The second serially upgraded A-50U aircraft was the 33 Krasny aircraft (factory number 0043454618, serial number 41-05), transferred to the Russian Air Force after the modernization was completed in April 2013, and later received the name Vladimir Ivanov. The third A-50U actually received by the VKS in 2014 was the above-mentioned prototype with the tail number "37 red" ("Sergey Atayants").
The fourth upgraded A-50U aircraft, which received its own name "Taganrog" (tail number "41 red", registration number RF-94268, factory number 0083483499, serial number 63-05) was transferred to the Russian Aerospace Forces on March 7, 2017. The fifth upgraded A-50U aircraft (tail number "45 red", registration number RF-93952, factory number 0093493818, serial number 63-05) was transferred to the Russian Aerospace Forces on December 6, 2018. The sixth upgraded A-50U aircraft (tail number "42 red", registration number RF-50610, factory number 0093484538, serial number 64-05) was transferred to the Russian Aerospace Forces on March 28, 2019. Finally, the seventh upgraded A-50U aircraft (tail number "43 red", registration number RF-50608, factory number 0093479377, serial number 60-05) was handed over to the Russian Aerospace Forces on December 29, 2021 (on February 26, 2023, this aircraft was damaged as a result of a sabotage attack at Machulishchi airfield in Belarus).
Thus, the program of modernization of the A-50 aircraft in the A-50U variant is being conducted at a very low pace, with the delivery of one upgraded machine in an average of two years.
As part of the Russian Aerospace Forces, all combat aircraft of the A-50 series are part of the aviation unit stationed at the Ivanovo-Severny airfield, which since 2010 has been called the aviation group for the combat use of long-range radar detection aircraft of the 610th Center for Combat Use and Retraining of Flight Personnel (aviation personnel of military Transport Aviation) of the 4th State Training Center aviation personnel and military tests.
